In essence, a medical student is one who has taken admission in a
medical school and has registered with a program in medicine to become
a medical (or osteopathic) doctor. For those of you coveting a career
in medical science, this is the beginning of your journey into the
world of Medicine. From a medical student to medical professional –
this could only be possible with sheer determination and a
comprehensive training.
Medical Training
To be a
successful medical student, you will have to undergo a proper training.
Your course in medical school would include both basic science and
clinical practice. Normally, for the two years of your grooming, you
would be trained in basic science related to healthcare comprising
molecular and cellular biology, behavioral science, microbiology,
biochemistry, histology, physiology, human anatomy, pharmacology and
pathology.
The rest of your training as a medical student
would include real-time clinical experience, practicing to attend the
patients in a hospital or clinic setting. Multiple rotations on various
services encompassing Surgery, Neurology, Psychiatry, Family Medicine,
Internal Medicine, OB/GYN and Pediatrics would begin from your third
year. The year after this would be devoted to electives in advanced
care and specialty fields.
How To Be A Good Medical Student?
The following suggestions will help you become a successful medical student:
Take
care of your own health – For performing brilliantly, you will need to
spend a lot of your physical and mental resources. Never compromise on
your health, or else your studies will suffer.
Get into the habit
of studying hard – The best way to master your art is to gain as much
knowledge as you can and take your studies very seriously as the
medical profession is a very demanding job and entails many serious
responsibilities (the most important being saving lives).
Develop time-management skills – In just four years time, you would
have to develop expertise over varied topics. You would obviously feel
that it is impossible to study so much in so little time, but a good
medical student has to be a good time manager.
Decide your specialization in advance – Try to select the area of
medicine you would like to pursue beforehand. This will give you some
precious preparation time.
Discuss with experienced people before choosing your field – Consult
your seniors before you decide on the field of specialization you are
thinking of pursuing. It would be even better to talk with the
professionals in the field.
As a medical student, you will need to take occasional breaks at times
in order to relieve the stress of your hectic schedule