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What is the hardest part about being in med school?
I am interested in the medical field after graduating high school but am intimidated by the medical field because of how much there is to learn.
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Raquel’s Answer
Medical school is very hard and rigorous for everyone, but there is also a lot of support. There are a ton of resources available to help you learn, and schools want you to be successful. The graduation rates for medical schools are >95%. Even though it is very difficult and an absolute ton of material to learn, most students find it to be less stressful than undergraduate schooling because classes are pass/fail not for letter grades. So the stakes aren't as high for having to do perfect on every exam. The important thing is that you know the material and do well on the STEP exams. It's super important to create good study habits and have a good support system to be successful in medical school.
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Dee’s Answer
If it was easy, everyone would do it, right? I agree with the previous answer though regarding the undergraduate almost being more difficult. It is a different level of learning and expectations. I also agree with the previous answer that if it is what you have your heart set on, go for it. Spend a lot of time around people in the medical field. Ask them what they like and do not like. I don't know one person in the world who isn't willing to talk to others about what they do for a living. You have to like and respect people to last in the medical field. That being said, my husband worked retail for 50 years and the tolerance you have to have for people in that field is exponentially higher than in the medical field. Good luck to you!
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April’s Answer
I can relate to your feelings of intimidation and being scared. I started as a Registered Medical Assistant and now I am a Medical Transcriptionist. The best advice I can give you is if your serious about the Medical field being what you want to do when you graduated is just dive in and get started. Any career choice is going to be difficult but it's your determination and drive to achieve your goal that will keep you going.
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Shannon’s Answer
Not going to sugar-coat it for you. It's very very hard. Not only do you have to learn all 200+ bones, and hundreds of muscles, and hundreds of ligaments & tendons, and exactly where they attach to each other, and how they interact together... that's just like week 1 of the anatomy class. the required info keeps coming every day like a waterfall. on day 1 you might think you can handle it but it doesn't stop coming. they don't stop to let you breathe.
my best advice is to take pre-med courses in undergrad like anatomy, chemistry, biology, physics, that kind of thing. this is how you face the same material in undergrad and again in med school (in more depth). you also need to learn study skills to help you retain as much as possible.
there's a saying 'see one, do one, teach one' referring to learning how to do procedures like placing an IV or central line, stitching lacerations etc. this is how fast you're expected to learn as a med student & after. if you can keep up the hectic pace, go for it. consider being a lower-level health worker if this seems too much.
my best advice is to take pre-med courses in undergrad like anatomy, chemistry, biology, physics, that kind of thing. this is how you face the same material in undergrad and again in med school (in more depth). you also need to learn study skills to help you retain as much as possible.
there's a saying 'see one, do one, teach one' referring to learning how to do procedures like placing an IV or central line, stitching lacerations etc. this is how fast you're expected to learn as a med student & after. if you can keep up the hectic pace, go for it. consider being a lower-level health worker if this seems too much.