What does your typical day of medical school look like?
Now that I'm an M3 it depends on what rotation I'm on. I'll get up about an hour before I have to be at the hospital or clinic, solve the Wordle, pack lunch, get dressed etc, then go in. So far the earliest I've had to be at the hospital was 6 am, and I've had some great mornings where my attendings told me I didn't have to be at clinic till 9 am. Rotations are different enough that I can't really describe a typical day, but some have enough downtime that I might be able to knock out some UWorld in the afternoon, while some definitely do not. In any case, I'll usually get to go home somewhere between 4:30 and 5:30 pm, though I've stayed as late as 7:30 pm on a few call days. Once I get home my level of productivity varies. Some nights I get a good amount of studying done, some nights I hang out with friends or my girlfriend and don't do much except socialize..... some nights I just eat some leftovers and then faceplant directly onto my bed. I try to get 7.5 hours of sleep a night, but some nights it's more like 6, whoops.
How do your classes and lectures compare to those at your undergraduate institution? (Any insight you can give about class structure, instructors, content and how they are similar/different from undergrad)
This is true of medical school in general, but there's a LOT more material to learn in a much shorter amount of time. Many of our preclinical classes have a rotating cast of different instructors depending on the subject being covered in that day's lecture, so there isn't a ton of consistency sometimes. The one exception is that, as of this writing, all our M2 pathology lectures are taught by Dr. Boyer, who is a hero and a champion. All hail Dr. Boyer and his absolutely insane mnemonics. A few people always go to class in person but the majority of people just watch the recordings on 2x (there are a handful of mandatory lectures but most of the run-of-the-mill ones are optional attendance).
How has your approach to learning and/or studying changed since you were an undergrad?
It isn't really helpful to say that I just got more efficient at it somehow, but that's kind of the truth. My brain has adapted to having a ton more stuff crammed into it every day/week/month. I'm the rare person who tried Anki and wasn't into it, but a lot of my class friends swear by Anki and there are a lot of premade decks for our school that get passed down, so I'd say give it a shot and see how you like it, but don't feel like there's no way to succeed if you don't use it - I don't and I'm doing just fine.
How would you describe the student culture at your school? Are there special events or activities that you consider very representative of the culture at your institution? What influence has this culture had on your experience in medical school thus far?
We're a smaller school (only 80-something students per class usually), which means that I can at least recognize everyone in my class by sight (and get most of their names right) even if I don't know them that well personally, and I can make friendly small talk with almost all of them. I think the majority of my classmates are enjoyable to be around and actually want to change things for the better. One tradition that happens every year that I think is a good representation of our culture is that every year, the night before the first M1 exam of the year, the M2s will write encouraging messages and drawings (of the brachial plexus, etc) in chalk on the sidewalk that leads into the school's main entrance. It's the little things like that that I appreciate and I think it's a good example of how the culture at our school errs on the collaborative side - we want to support each other and share what we know.
Can you give us a brief description of the area surrounding your school and the things you do for fun? What are some things you like and dislike about the city/town you are located in as a student?
I'm going to be honest, as someone who had never lived anywhere smaller than the Triangle, Greenville was a little bit of a culture shock for me. There's not nothing to do, but it very much is a town where the main two things that are happening are the undergrad and the hospital. Uptown is starting to become more of a destination, though, and there are a fair number of breweries and little cafes that are enjoyable places to hang out. The main thing to know with Greenville is that you have to hunt down your particular flavor of entertainment - it won't just fall into your lap like it might in a bigger city - and there's a good chance that when you find it it'll be full of undergrads. And yeah, if you want to go to any big-name concerts or anything, you're going to have to make the 1.25-hour drive to Raleigh (which isn't that far in the grand scheme of things). Greenville is also very much in the eastern part of the state, so prepare for mosquitoes and cockroaches (the roaches will get into your house/apartment occasionally no matter how well you clean, especially if you live on the first floor). There are some surprisingly good restaurants hidden around, you just have to find them! And if you want to go for a nature walk/bike ride, River Park North is beautiful, especially in the spring and fall. The Tar River itself can be kayaked on, too (there are places that rent kayaks). And the beach is only an hour and 45 minutes away. We don't have a Costco (but there is a Sam's Club). We don't have a Trader Joe's (we do have a Lidl). No Whole Foods (but yes The Fresh Market). And so on. One big plus is that the rent is SUPER cheap. Overall I'd say Greenville is better than I thought it would be, but I also don't want to live here my whole life - I'd like to live somewhere at least as big as Durham. But some people love it and want to stay forever! Only one way to find out!
What would you consider strengths of your medical school?
Like I mentioned earlier, I think our small class size is a strength - it lets us get to know each other better, and the professors/admin are more likely to know us better too, or at least recognize us. We are The Major Hospital for this part of the state, so we see a lot of very sick, high-risk patients and unusual pathology, which makes for great learning opportunities. Also, as of right now, we've only got the one hospital that we rotate through, so even though some of our rotations have community components where we might go elsewhere briefly, the vast majority of stuff is happening in ECU Health Medical Center or ECU clinics in Greenville - we don't have to scatter all through the state or region just to do our core rotations. And our school building is literally right next to the hospital and connected to it by a hallway, so it's super convenient. The school building is old and that is one downside, but the good news is we've just gotten funding to start designing and building a new one! I hope it has a location that's as convenient as this one (not sure how they're going to pull that off), but that's a problem for like a decade from now.
What resources have been most useful to you in self-learning medical school material or in expanding on material taught in class? Can you briefly describe how you have incorporated them into your learning routine?
UWorld is the primary thing anyone should be using for Step studying and for M3 rotations, in my opinion. As an M3 I try to do most of the UWorld questions for each rotation if I can (I definitely don't always succeed) as my main method of studying. Brody gives us Aquifer access during M3 and I know this is an unpopular opinion but I actually think it helps - I did all the FM Aquifer cases and I don't think it's a coincidence that that's the only rotation I've honored so far. Brody also gives us Uwise access for OBGYN and I would recommend it. During M2, I used Pathoma a little bit - Dr. Boyer's lectures are fantastic but it's a good supplement for Step 1 and I know some people who swear by it. I don't really know anyone who used Boards and Beyond or anything like that. My classmates who are serious Anki people liked Anking for Step 1 studying but, again, that wasn't my thing.
How much/well have you been able to develop clinical skills alongside your classroom work first and second year? What does your institution do to help you develop clinical skills before the clinical years?
During M1 and M2 we do PBL, which is like small-group thinking through clinical cases and coming up with differentials and stuff; during M2 we also do PBR, which puts you in a clinical or simulated clinical (i.e. AHEC) setting to learn how to do certain exams or evaluate specific organ system complaints etc. Both of these are one afternoon per week and I do think they help you start to develop clinical reasoning. We also have to do a one-week preceptorship in a primary care setting over winter break during M2 year - I did mine in a pediatrics clinic back home and I think that helped me a lot in terms of getting a taste of what M3 was going to be like. There are also opportunities to volunteer in the two free clinics in town (GCSC and PCCC), which helps you start to get real-world clinical exposure (and help people in the process).
What is one thing you would do differently if you could go back to your undergraduate years or the time between undergrad and medical school? (This is open ended...can be related to academics or anything non-academic)
I would have exercised more! It's hard to get into a new exercise routine in medical school when you never really had one in the first place, but regular exercise is great for stress and mental health and I feel a lot better when I'm able to do it.
Given the number of obstacles we face en route to a career in medicine, everyone at some point feels doubtful of themselves. How has this affected you and what has helped you persevere through these sorts of feelings?
I've definitely had moments where I felt like I was in over my head. What's helped me is to realize that everyone is going through the same doubts and uncertainties as you. Something I like about my class is that people are willing to honestly commiserate when things have been difficult for them instead of pretending like everything is fine all the time. It makes you feel much less alone when you realize you're not the only person who pulled an all-nighter before the most recent exam (not that I would recommend this!).
How do you maintain your mental health while balancing school, work, family, and other social obligations?
Again, unpopular answer, but for me personally, I realized that Anki was actually making my stress and anxiety worse, not better. When I had too many reviews piling up, I felt guilty if I did anything fun that wasn't studying. Letting go of the rigidity of that schedule (again, only my personal experience) helped me feel better. Anki or no Anki, try to give yourself some grace - it's okay to take a day (or even the whole weekend) off from studying. I decided a long time ago that I was going to err on the side of having a good time even if it cost me a few points here and there, and so far I've been much happier for it, and felt like I've been able to continue to have an actual life (friends, romantic relationship, outside activities, etc) instead of just studying every hour of every day (a recipe for burnout). And keeping your mental health solid by maintaining friends and interests outside of medical school will make you more efficient with your time when you do sit down to do some studying. Also, sleep! Can't emphasize enough how important it is to get enough sleep at night whenever you can and maintain a regular sleep schedule as much as possible. I haven't always done this and I've definitely suffered for it, so I try as best I can to be consistent about it now.
Does your medical school provide access to lecture recordings/podcasts?
Brody uses a site called Panopto (I think? It used to be Mediasite) to video record all attendance-optional lectures so you can watch them at your own pace.
How are your pre-clinical and clinical course work graded? (Pass/Fail, Honors, etc.)
Preclinical has just moved to pass/fail as of this year. Clinical course work is still letter grades: honors, A, B, C, F. For all the M3 rotations I've had so far, you have to get at least 80th percentile on the shelf, plus attain a certain minimum points total in other areas (evals, OSCE exam, required other activities if there are any) that varies from rotation to rotation. If you hit the points total but don't get the 80th percentile, you'll get an A, but it's still possible to get an A without doing either.