Medicine has evolved drastically and has produced immense progress in terms of patient care and medical equipment. These advancements are nothing without the contribution of well-trained and sound doctors who have mastered multiple domains of the human body. This has been achieved through a standardized teaching mechanism, which trains and produces exceptional medical practitioners
A doctor’s journey is one of the hardest and most stressful ones as they have to go through tough and rigorous training throughout their medical education. The medical education system in the U.S. is a minimum of 11 years (4 years of college, 4 years of medical school and at least 3 years of residency) and is truly a test of survival among the students and is one of the most testing phases of an individual’s life. It can often be demotivating and depressing, especially when you find the workload overwhelming and intense.
Let’s discuss some ways of staying motivated during your medical education:
Extracurricular Activities
As a med student, it can get extremely stressful at times especially when you put more and more time in studying and powering through the workload. Take some time out for yourself and relax for a change. Try to breakdown the workload, if possible and try to do what you like for a couple of hours. Read a book, Go for a jog or enlist yourself in sports.
Time Management
Time management can help you be more productive and help breakdown the workload. It’s not always to burnout yourself by taking on all the workload head on. Breaking it down into segments can help you tackle each and every one of them one by one and help you stay motivated.
Be okay with not meeting deadlines
Quality of study is better than quantity of study. This is something most med students forget and often get demotivated. You need to understand that not all deadlines can be met. You need to focus on the content of the work rather than the size of it. Students usually get so obsessed over deadlines, they fail to grasp the concepts they cover and find shortcuts of memorizing or completing their workload without proper understanding.
Change study places from time to time
Studying at one place can often become a bit boring and can lead to procrastination.
- Change how you study, start typing if you’ve been writing or vice versa.
- Go to the library to study instead of your dorm.
Look at the big picture
Med school isn’t just a test of intellect, but also of composure and grit. Try looking at your long terms goals and don’t lose track of them. Failing a test is always recoverable in the next one, but losing track of why you’re here is something that can be extremely damaging for your future career.
Stay Healthy
Having a healthy diet can help you stay fresh and positive before a test or throughout your day. Try to work out and get as much sleep as you can (an impossible ask, I know). These things help you stay motivated and energetic throughout your medical education.
Picture yourself as a doctor
This is something that should be a motivation for all medical students. If you don’t feel motivated, it can be extremely hard sometimes to get on track. Imagine yourself helping a patient and the motivation that spurred you on to become a doctor.
These are some tips to stay motivated and on the path you carved for yourself when you decided to become a doctor in the first place.
Author Bio: This article was written by Harold Jenkins, who is a resident at a well renowned hospital in the US. Besides his essay writing skills, he is known for his passion for mentoring new medical students.
