Lost in Transition
Posted 10:36 PM, September 06, 2006, by tenfordeWe've been in class one week, but I feel so...tired. Yet I've learned that my fellow students are feeling the crunch too. Here's a few misconceptions I've uncovered from my first week of classes. Fellow students, faculty and staff: I hope this will prove beneficial in learning the ways of the first-year medical student (please read with humor):
Everyone gets it but me
I've approached our first month schedule of classes with dread. My previous education and research experiences have centered around the macro world: predominantly organ systems and the brain. I don't know much about those small prokaryotic cellular critters, and until now I have dodged learning foundation material in cellular and molecular biology. Yet as I've learned, Stanford Medical School believes this knowledge is foundational to understanding human health and disease, so we're all getting a crash course in these areas.
While I agree that the content is valuable, what has really frightened me is the details that the material has covered. I'm not proficient at using a microscope, I haven't studied precursor cell types, and my basic knowledge in DNA replication and repair is basic. To be more specific, it's difficult to read EM, to understand microsatallite instability of DNA, and to learn 10-15 anatomical structures each time you study a cadaver.
After a pretty rough night, I decided to ask my classmates how they felt about the material, and I was relieved to find that everyone, even students with a microbiology background, was struggling with the material. It's not just me - we the students are being asked to learn a great volume of knowledge.
Sleep matters (little)
I have always loved caffeine. I'm a habitual coffee drinker and enjoy the morning cup of java. Yet, I find myself returning for a second dose in the afternoon, and reaching for the dark chocolate espresso beans (if you haven't tried these, they are VERY tasty) a bit too often. I evaluated my sleep patterns and found that I have been getting six to seven hours a night, well below the eight to nine hour average I maintained before starting classes.
Polling my fellow students, I was admittedly relieved to learn that I was doing well with my sleep. People on average reported getting a mean of five to six hours (range = 4 - 7, N=8), well below the recommended value of eight hours per night. Even more disconcerting is that we're only in the second week of classes! Fortunately, we've got time to adjust and become more efficient in our efforts, so that we can take care of ourselves and maximize our learning potential. I've put in my 45 miles of running this week, so I've got a good start on keeping physically fit. Now, if I can just find that one additional hour in the day to sleep...
The orientation to becoming medical students is over
True, we had a week set aside to travel to the Sierras for SWEAT, came back to hear the faculty and professors introduce us to the curriculum and inspire us about our educational opportunities, and get our bearings before classes began on Wednesday. However, we've learned about additional classes (a.k.a training) that are required for our practice of medicine. For instance, most of the class learned how to draw blood, take blood pressure measurements, and started on our CPR training last Wednesday.
I guess I can say that my experiences have left me feeling overwhelmed by the breadth of knowledge required to practice medicine. Fortunately, my classmates seem to concur, and I find it unlikely that Stanford would choose 86 students that are incapable of meeting the task. I find strength in my classmates and know that this too will pass.
Comments
Comment by: fellow first year at September 9, 2006 02:29 PM
Question: hey i am looking to going to med school and i am trying to make the decision - tell me this is it worth it or not.
Adam: Despite the hard-work demanded from Stanford Med School, I could not envision a more supporting faculty and staff. The life of a doctor is going to be demanding, accordingly the training is challenging. A doctor is responsible for the health and can be responsible for life and death decisions, so they better be prepared to do their homework. I think you will discover the answer if you look at this objectively, and the hardwork will be a product of your desire to serve your patients
Comment by: kelly at September 10, 2006 09:22 PM
Hey Adam, Greetings from Pritzker, in Chicago. Sleep deprivation? In med school? What's up with dat, dawg? :p Well, I'll be going down that road in a fortnight. Pritzker has started us on a weeklong course covering the quite different ways in which rich and poor in America get their medical care. Then after that, a weeklong orientation. Finally, in late September, we will get down to basic science. I expect our lots will be quite similar then, only I'll be studying when you'll be on break! I have good memories of our chats in Los Altos Hills. Congratulations on being chosen to write the blog. I wish you every success at Stanford. Stay well.
Comment by: Philippe Tapon at September 12, 2006 06:33 PM
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awesome blog....it is nice to know other people are adjusting. go adam (i wish i were running 45 miles a week!)