2 answers
Ella
Student
Salunga-Landisville, Pennsylvania
1
Question
Updated
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What does a day in the life look like for a medical student?
I’m a high school senior looking into careers in medicine. I really enjoy STEM based classes and want to consider different career possibilities realistically.
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2 answers
Brett Schlifstein
Anesthesiologist
42
Answers
Pittsboro, North Carolina
Updated
Brett’s Answer
Hi Ella,
The first two years of medical school are a lot like taking advanced science courses in college. You attend lectures and labs, study a lot on your own, and take exams. There is a lot of material to absorb, and much of it is done on your own - professors can't cover everything in their limited lecture time. You do have your weekends and holidays off - so this is a good time to spend with family and friends (in addition to some studying) to keep yourself mentally healthy.
The third and fourth years of medical school are clinical rotations of various lengths - a couple of weeks to several months. These cover many of the different specialties of medicine (Internal Medicine and Surgery-and all their subspecialties, Pediatrics, OB/GYN, Radiology, Psychiatry, Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology, etc.). Typically you are assigned to a team that consists of medical students, interns, residents, and an attending physician. There can be long hours, overnight shifts, and work on holidays. There are some lectures to attend (Grand Rounds, Morbidity and Mortality Conference, etc.), but most of the time is clinical. You will need to do reading after hours. There are occasional exams. Grades for these are usually just pass/fail.
I can't say that this was an easy time in my life, but it was manageable. These are very formative years that will lay day the foundation for your decades in your upcoming career.
Hope that helps, and good luck!
Brett Schlifstein, M.D.
Anesthesia Director
ECU Health Roanoke Chowan Hospital
The first two years of medical school are a lot like taking advanced science courses in college. You attend lectures and labs, study a lot on your own, and take exams. There is a lot of material to absorb, and much of it is done on your own - professors can't cover everything in their limited lecture time. You do have your weekends and holidays off - so this is a good time to spend with family and friends (in addition to some studying) to keep yourself mentally healthy.
The third and fourth years of medical school are clinical rotations of various lengths - a couple of weeks to several months. These cover many of the different specialties of medicine (Internal Medicine and Surgery-and all their subspecialties, Pediatrics, OB/GYN, Radiology, Psychiatry, Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology, etc.). Typically you are assigned to a team that consists of medical students, interns, residents, and an attending physician. There can be long hours, overnight shifts, and work on holidays. There are some lectures to attend (Grand Rounds, Morbidity and Mortality Conference, etc.), but most of the time is clinical. You will need to do reading after hours. There are occasional exams. Grades for these are usually just pass/fail.
I can't say that this was an easy time in my life, but it was manageable. These are very formative years that will lay day the foundation for your decades in your upcoming career.
Hope that helps, and good luck!
Brett Schlifstein, M.D.
Anesthesia Director
ECU Health Roanoke Chowan Hospital
James Hanson
Pediatric Intensive Care Physician; Consultant
157
Answers
Oakland, California
Updated
James’s Answer
I found medical school to be similar to college in terms of difficulty. One adds clinical care to classroom learning - and that often comes with some overnight and weekend work. But if you enjoy learning, physiology, helping others... then the fairly hard work is more joyful than stressful. Medicine is a team sport, so I enjoyed the social interactions from medical school all the way through my long career.
Expect to go to either a classroom, a lab, a clinic, or a part of a hospital early in the morning and engaging in fascinating learning and vital human interactions until late afternoon - with an occasional overnight and a fair number of weekends. You will need to do homework for your classes, but you may enjoy study groups to make that more enjoyable.
While I worked hard in medical school, I also had time to learn scuba diving, go rock climbing, and go to enough parties to never feel sad or lonely.
Good luck.
Expect to go to either a classroom, a lab, a clinic, or a part of a hospital early in the morning and engaging in fascinating learning and vital human interactions until late afternoon - with an occasional overnight and a fair number of weekends. You will need to do homework for your classes, but you may enjoy study groups to make that more enjoyable.
While I worked hard in medical school, I also had time to learn scuba diving, go rock climbing, and go to enough parties to never feel sad or lonely.
Good luck.