The novel coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2, and the disease it causes, COVID-19, are upon
us, and we’ll be experiencing the ramifications not just for several days or several weeks,
but for several months. Over the past couple weeks, it’s been amazing to see how social
media can be used for good, to educate those of the importance of social distancing and
flattening the curve. Higher risk populations, which I am a part of because I am immunosuppressed,
are incredibly grateful for the efforts of those who are acting responsibly and in the
interest of the greater good. These actions are saving lives. This video won’t be speaking
to the details of the virus or the importance of flattening the curve, but rather how to
best manage these challenging new times as a student.
Dr. Jubbal, MedSchoolInsiders.com.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s the importance of your mindset
whenever confronted by a novel obstacle. As a student, whether you’re premed or a medical
student, I understand that these uncertain times can cause a great deal of anxiety and
stress. That’s normal. What I want you to focus on is the self-talk you have about your
life and surrounding events, and through what lens you choose to view these new circumstances.
If you’re able to view these new challenges and restrictions imposed by social distancing
as an opportunity for growth and learning, more so than a highly restrictive inconvenience,
I promise you will be rewarded generously.
If you’re highly anxious and concerned about how this will effect your studies, medical
school application, or something else, remember that everyone is in the same boat. We’re
all in this together. It’s a level playing field, and you’re not going to be more disadvantaged
compared to another student due to coronavirus.
If you want to learn more about how I’m changing my own personal habits and strategies
to cope with these unprecedented times as a high risk individual, check out my second
channel, Kevin Jubbal, M.D. Link in the description.
First, understand that social distancing does not mean social isolation. If you coop yourself
up and don’t interact with other people, you’ll experience a rapid decline in mood,
energy, and productivity. We’re social animals — even the introverts among us.
You’ll be relying more on modern technologies like Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, or phone calls
to stay in touch. Now’s not a bad time to reach out to your family and close friends
and schedule a weekly call to keep in contact at regular intervals. I call my mom every
Sunday evening minimum and I’ve scheduled recurring calls with a couple close friends
during certain weekday evenings. Think of this as virtual social time. If you would
normally spend evenings relaxing with friends, you can still do so virtually. Schedule a
group chat or group dinner or play Cards Against Humanity with your friends where you all attend
via video chat.
Studying solo is generally more effective, but during this time it’s completely fine,
and even encouraged, to have more virtual study sessions with classmates or friends.
In these times, the social support of virtual study groups will generally outweigh the ding
to your focus. I still recommend you keep these virtual study groups small, with ideally
only 1 or 2 other students.
Second, maintain a routine. There are two ways of going about this. You can either drastically
shift your routine and maintain those new changes. This is what I did early on during
the coronavirus outbreak, as I wanted to limit my exposure to individuals at the gym. I either
woke up very early and went to the gym painfully early, or went to the gym very late and slept
very late. Alternatively, and arguably much more easily, maintain the same schedule you
had prior to social distancing orders. As my gym has now been closed, this is what I’m
reverting to.
Even though you’re confined to your apartment or home, you should still shower, change,
have breakfast, and follow your regular routine as if you were still attending class. This
regularity provides structure to build momentum from for the rest of your day. If you normally
would walk to class, feel free to go outside for a brief walk to get fresh air and sunshine,
but just be sure to avoid other people while doing so.
Lastly, sticking to good foundational habits will become even more important than usual.
During this time of stress and uncertainty, it may be more difficult to get restful sleep.
For that reason, following proper sleep hygiene regarding limiting your screen use, temperature
in your room, and other often overlooked factors will become more important in maintaining
your long term sanity and happiness. Similarly, you want to maintain a healthy diet and regular
exercise to keep your immune system functioning optimally.
With social distancing, you should view the increased time you have alone as an opportunity
to tackle and experiment with your study strategies. We’ve recently covered the 7 evidence based
study strategies that will improve your effectiveness and efficiency whilst studying.
Don’t forget the power of music. This is one that I used on a daily basis back in college,
medical school, residency, and even to this day. Finding the right instrumental song to
groove to while you get work done can help you build momentum in your work and even facilitate
getting into a flow state, where doing the work is actually enjoyable. I’ve put my
favorite study tracks on my Study With Me playlist on Spotify. Link in the description.
Be careful with your additional time at home. Some students may fall into the trap of thinking
they need to spend every waking hour studying, which accelerates burnout and decreases effectiveness.
Remember that the quality of studying is more important than the quantity of studying. Use
the Pomodoro technique to your advantage and plan your days before hand. When will you
study? When will you take a break? When will you exercise, eat, and socialize? I’m finding
for myself that during this time of amorphous uncertainty, increasing structure in my daily
schedule has proven beneficial.
Self-directed learning is a skill that you must develop the further along you go in training.
In grade school, you’re spoon fed. As a premed, you’re a bit more on your own, but
still have a great deal of structure with classes. As a medical student, your preclinical
years will require slightly more self-directed learning as you being learning from the proverbial
fire hydrant, which is further exaggerated once you begin your clinical years and have
minimal time in class. You’ll become far more self-reliant for learning. As a resident,
you’ll have minimal didactics and will almost entirely be studying on your own. And by the
time you’re an attending physician, you’ll be completely self-directed.
Understand that most of what you’re learning in school is not terribly complicated, and
you can figure it out. Be resourceful — obviously look at the textbook, but if you’re stumped
on a concept, search YouTube for additional help, find other online resources, or reach
out to friends, the TA, or even the professor. This is a tremendous opportunity to hone your
self-directed learning skills that will continue to serve you well as you progress through
your education.
If you’re enrolled in classes, then use this time to study and prepare for your exams,
even if they have been cancelled or delayed. After all, your knowledge of the material
will be tested at some point. If you were planning on taking the MCAT but must push
it back, use this additional time as an opportunity to further bolster your content review and
go through additional practice questions to boost your score on test day.
For those of you studying for standardized tests like the MCAT or USMLE, be wary of burnout.
If you study too long at a high intensity, you increase the chances of experiencing burnout.
If your time horizon is expanded, then proportionally decrease the intensity of your studying over
this time. For example, let’s say you were going to take the MCAT in 2 weeks, but due
to test date closures you’re now anticipating taking the test in 6 weeks instead. If you
were studying 10 hours per day before, you could now study for 7 or 8 instead, and use
the extra time socializing or exercising. And don’t forget to save adequate high quality
practice questions and practice tests for close to the real test day. For the MCAT,
that means a couple AAMC full lengths, and for USMLE that means a couple NBME’s.
If you were planning on applying to medical school this June, don’t fret. Understand
that everyone else is in the same position you’re in. If you had to cancel your clinical
volunteering opportunity, don’t worry — medical schools are going to be more than understanding.
This isn’t a time to frantically reach out to programs and the AAMC requesting details
on how to proceed. We’re all facing this pandemic together, and these organizations
face a great deal of uncertainty as well. Do the best with what you have for now and
wait.
Maintaining your physical fitness is important not just for your physical health and immunity,
but also for your mental health and mood. I’ve noticed drastic effects in my own mood
when I’m regular about exercising at home, and can see detrimental effects on my sleep,
mood, and energy if I skip a day.
Unless you have a home gym, you probably don’t have all the equipment you’d like, but that’s
fine. You can still make do with regular household items in a pinch. Bodyweight exercises like
pushups, pull-ups, and crunches, not to be confused with sit-ups, are great starting
points. I also have a set of elastic bands that have proven very effective, and you can
catch me riding on Zwift with my smart indoor trainer at least 3 or 4 times per week. Riding
or running outdoors solo is also a valid option.
For additional home workout tips, I recommend you check out the recent videos by Athlean-X
and Jeff Nippard. Links in the description.
I know that these are uncertain times, but trust me when I say that your mindset and
how you react to the situation is more important than the details of the actual situation.
I wish you all the best, and I know that you can grow stronger, more independent, and more
badass through this process. I’ve been tested as well, and I’m learning a great deal about
my own systems and habits and ways I can further improve them moving forward. Much love, stay
safe, and see you soon.