Pursuing a degree in medicine is a hard task. Even getting into medical school is a challenge by itself, especially now that more and more people desire to be doctors.
In this article, we are going to look at the major challenges medical students face while pursuing their studies and how to overcome them.
- Burnouts
Studying medicine requires discipline, persistence, and motivation.
There are times, in the course of your study, you will be tired, unmotivated, and sleep deprived because of the long hours of day and night study. You may have difficulty concentrating and remembering why you wanted to be a doctor in the first place.
In such times, you may be suffering from a burnout.
Burnouts are common with medical students. It is a serious problem that also affects licensed doctors. For instance, doctors at EPPA are almost always under stressful emergency situations that may tire them or put them under massive pressure.
Burnouts and lack of motivation come from what you are expected to do. These tasks can be overwhelming and you might need help. Taking some time off to rest might help. Additionally, talking to your loved ones or the student help desk at the university is also an excellent idea.
Medicine involves caring about the wellbeing of others, so you need to first care about yourself so as to offer services to patients effectively.
- Medical terminologies
Have you ever received a medical report and could not understand a word of what was jotted down?
Medical textbooks are full of terminologies that ate hard to grasp, especially for a freshman. These words look like you would need a degree in English and Lexicology just to pronounce them. Also, medical dictionaries are as big as three novels put together, with lots of roots, prefixes and suffixes.
Yet, the lecturers will always insist that it is crucial to know these terminologies as it will be of great help after graduation when you will be a practicing doctor.
To be able to grasp these hard terminologies, a positive mindset is your first line of defense. If a medical student goes unto med school with the believe that the terminologies are hard, they will have a rough time grasping them.
Furthermore, knowing the terminologies has an advantage. Since they are not so easy to learn, as you study, your brain will break them down to its building blocks, thus you will not only remember it but also fully comprehend its definition.
- Workload
You would be surprised at how much work medical students have to cover, especially in the first two years of study. You have to learn all about the human anatomy, pharmacology, microbiology among other things.
In addition, you will be required to have presentations, written, and oral exams that might overwhelm you and sometimes scare you. You should, however, remember that practicing doctors went through the same and they survived.
Involve yourself in study groups and also ask third and fourth year students how they did it. Ask them about their study patterns and any other relevant advice.
