medical school is difficult and i am stressing out?

Question

well,med school is really difficult n i can't help but stress out.My first year is almost over and i had some exams and I didn't do very good in some of them and sometimes I regret ever going to med school and I stress out alot and I think of all the mistakes I did in my exams and the night before the exam is so stressful that I don't get enough sleep.I feel like my life will never be the same again,all year along stressing about getting good grades and in summer feeling bad because I didn't get very high grades.What should I do?How do I stop worrying and thinking about the mistakes I made and concentrate of what's coming?I really feel blue and depressed and my life didn't turn out the way I expected it to be.I need help.

Answer 1

Nothing worthwhile comes without cost. Med school should be difficult because we're trying to train doctors who are not only knowledgable but can handle stressful situations - they'll be responsible for our medical treatment, afterall!
In the meantime, however, you have to choose to break your cycle of fretting - yesterday is over. If you did well on an exam, then great; but it is still DONE. If you did badly, not so great; but it is still DONE. You can't un-do it, so why let it stress you out?
You might want to honestly evaluate how well you used your time - can you study more efficiently? Are you giving your studying your undivided attention (ie. no music, tv, friends chatting)? Are you focusing on the big picture, or are you getting caught up in the weeds? Understanding the big picture goes a long way toward learning the smaller pieces - kind of working backwards toward comprehension.

Finally, if you really think it was a mistake to go to med school - STOP! You don't HAVE to return in the fall. It is YOUR life to decide what to do with, and if someone implies that you're quitting, thumb your nose at them. That is not something to decide overnight - but you have a whole summer to not-think about it. Immerse yourself in something you enjoy this summer; forget the stress, guilt, grades, etc. and lose yourself in something different. When Aug/Sept rolls around (whenever your school starts again) see what your gut reaction is to returning to the med school routine. If you look forward to it, go. If it knots your guts, maybe its not the thing for you to do right now. That doesn't mean you can't return to it later, either. Don't fall for the myth that you only get one chance - you can MAKE your chances, honey.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Hang in there!

I was stressed in medical school, too, because I started school 30 days after my son was born. I was a new medical student and a single mom. I don't know when I slept.

You don't need to get A's. You need to learn enough to be able to look up what you need later and understand it, but you'll never remember everything.

The first year is definitely the worst (two words: gross anatomy). It really does get better.

Learn from your mistakes, but don't dwell on them. Nobody died. (That is my definition of a good day. If nobody dies, it's a good day. All my days are good days!)

Talk to the administration of the school. I'll bet they have counselors that can help you vent and reassure you that everything is going to work out just fine. They wouldn't have accepted you if they didn't think you could do the job.

Do something fun over the summer. As a doctor, you will need to learn to let things go, and separate yourself from your work. Your grades are not YOU. They are what they are. Move on.

Have a good cry if you need to. God knows, I sure did!

Console yourself in the fact that the straight A in med school people probably have some personality flaws. There's a LOT more to being a good doctor than grades. You're there because you belong there.

We all went through it. You'll make it.

Answer 3

First, you should be proud of yourself for being in med school. Many try and many fail to make it. Med school is tough because being a doctor will be tough- time consuming, making life/death situations, being a manger and a care giver, etc. They want to prepare you for everything you will encounter and to get rid of the weak and unprepared.

Just take a step back and relax. If you passed your exams and didn't do great, you'll still be in med school (the old line- what you call the person last in their graduating class at med school? Doctor.). Find out what went wrong and work on it- study habits, desire, is this really what you want to do?

If you normally stress out over everything, then this is normal for you and you'll get over and stress out about something else.

If you're stressed because you don't want to be a doctor anymore, then drop the program. If you're still interested in medicine, then choose a different path- RN, PA, EMT. There's a tremendous need for all 3.

Answer 4

I've been there. First off, stop worrying so much about grades. I know, easier said than done, but residencies care more about board scores and clinical rotation performance than about classroom work. My guess is you are used to being "the smart kid" and now you are around a group that makes you just average. I know a lot of people that have a hard time accepting that, and they drive themselves crazy trying to be on top. It is really just quicksand, the more you fight, the further you sink until you are in over your head.
Ok, what you need to do is learn to accept not being the best, and not always getting perfect grades. Use a poor grade to drive yourself to do better, but don't let it make you crazy.
Get some sleep. I don't know what your school is like, but mine records lectures on mp3s and we don't have to go to class, so if I am tired, I don't. Sleep is important. So is exercise. start working out. By now you should no how important regular exercise is in fighting anxiety and depression.
You may want to go on antidepressants for a couple months. I had a hard time adjusting to medical school. I had a lot of anxiety, which made me question if I was making the right decision, which only gave me more anxiety. It was a vicious cycle. I went on Lexapro for a month and a half. It made the anxiety go away long enough for me to get myself back on track, and then I didn't need it anymore.
Besides, you are now half way done. you only have one more year of classes. One of my professor's favorite sayings is "your worst day of rotations is better than your best day in class."
Finally, set realistic goals. I have classmates that freak out if they don't beat the class average every test or if they dn't get at least 95%. They almost always fail at their goals, and it stresses them out. I shoot for 85% average or better in every class. I beat it in all but one, and I am still in the upper half of the class.
My final piece of advise is to get out and have some fun at least one night per week. I have a rule that the day of a test is a non-study day, unless I have another two days away. It gives me a break from the library and a chance to relax and have fun with my friends. We also go play raquetball, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, etc.
Good luck next year. At least you'll have new first year students to watch freak out. At least now you can help them get through it. Just remember, you aren't alone, many of your classmates are going through the same thing, they just don't show it.

Answer 5

You're a bright girl or you wouldn't be in med school. Everyone is stressed in med school. You will be pushed to your limit at every stage of med school and residency. Concentrate on the challenges ahead. The first year is really tough...they really give you a plate full and then some. Just remember, everyone is in the same boat.

Answer 6

Welcome to the profession. First, you should understand that your situation is completely normal. If you're in a traditionally structured US school, next year will be a little better, but when you start clinical rotations in your third year, you'll do the same, with even less sleep. It's a rite of passage. The large majority of my class got through the first and third years chanting the age-old mantra, "What do they call the guy who finishes last in his class? Doctor." Have a good drunk (but just one!); catch up on your sleep; talk to your classmates, who are largely in the same boat as you; and things will get back in perspective soon enough.

Answer 7

That is really an excellent question. Medical school students are stressing for 1 reason : the pressure they put on themself. Many students in medical school are obsesionnal-compulsive. I was. You probably are.

The rule to follow in medical school is now different than before entering in medical school. Before you had to compare yourself to everyone else to proove yourself and mostly to enter the medical school. Now you need to study for you because you like medecine (if you like it !). Don't focus on your errors after an exam. Focus on what you did well.

And something very important don't feel bad during summer. Preclinical years are they to have fun. These years are not the final endpoint in medecine. You have 7-10 years to learn medecine. Be patient. You will master it slowly but progressively.

Answer 8

In the 27 years before medical school, I did not meet a single person that was smarter than me. When I got to medical school (Miami, FL), I was shocked. It took work to keep up. I was comforted in the fact that if i failed a test, nobody died. In practice, (the real world) the resources are out there. If I can't remember the answer, I can look it up. No one would call it cheating. AND, there are people smarter than me to help.
Medicine is only part of your life. May God Bless You and protect you from your stressers.
Old Doc

Answer 9

Yes it has a very high drop out rate. The subject matter itself is not so difficult but the volume of information you are required to assimilate in the time frame + the number of exams makes it very tough.

Answer 10

im on the 4-th course and i have 5 exams this term and i passed one of them today.lol i had these stresses too but you know what? all these years will be passed and go to memory but try to be a good doctor it doesnt matter what grades u get ......