Summer is upon us!
While having fun and enjoying yourself should be a top priority, having fun and being productive
are not mutually exclusive.
Stay tuned for tips on how to maximize your summer vacation.
What's going on guys!
J from MedSchoolInsiders.com.
I'm gonna split this video up into a few different parts: first, I know that many viewers are
not necessarily on a pre-med or healthcare track, so I'll first go over general summer
tips.
These pieces of advice will be applicable to all students regardless of major or career
trajectory.
Next, I'll go over specific topic for pre-meds and med students.
So let's get started with the general tips.
Time is your most precious resource.
Therefore don’t waste it.
Focus on spending your time doing one of two things: either having fun or being productive.
Try to do both if possible.
So, the first tip is on Lists/Scheduling.
As many of you are well aware, I am a systematic guy and I love being organized.
As I’ve grown older, I realized that one of the best ways to stay on track and deliberate
with your time is with lists and scheduling.
Create a list of goals at the beginning of your summer break.
This list should include not only professional goals but personal as well.
Do you want to exercise 5 times per week?
Are you planning on taking the MCAT?
What about research or a job – set goals early on in whatever it is you decide to do
and work towards them.
2.
Don't forget to Enjoy Summer!
There’s a spectrum with regards to how much each person likes to work versus have fun.
Most people tend to be pretty good at having fun and relaxing and not as good with staying
focused on work.
Other people work too hard at the expense of their happiness and mental health.
This piece of advice is for the latter group of people.
Be sure to properly unwind, relax, and give yourself a mental break from the stress of
the academic year.
Again, be deliberate with your time.
Plan out ahead how you want to relax, otherwise you may waste it and may neither have fun
nor being productive.
By being deliberate with how you want to use your free time, you will end up feeling more
refreshed, recharged, and happy with how you spent your time.
The third tip is to Get Outside of your Comfort Zone.
During the school year we tend to fall into routines for better or worse.
Due to class schedules, homework, studying for tests, and other responsibilities, it
is much more difficult, although certainly not impossible, to make meaningful changes
in our lives.
Summer break is one of the best opportunities as a student to make changes, to get outside
your comfort zone, to try something you’ve always wanted, to learn a new skill, or to
pick up a sport.
Set out a plan of action on how to incorporate these changes and add them to your list and
schedule.
Consider having an accountability partner if that helps you stay on track.
Now onto the tips for pre-meds, med students, and other students seeking a career in healthcare.
1.
Use your summer to Get Clinical Experience.
Hands-on experience in the hospital, clinic, or other healthcare setting not only helps
you by padding up your CV and your med school application, but also gives you the much needed
insight to decide whether this career is right for you.
I f you haven't already, check out my video on deciding whether a career in medicine is
right for you.
If you can’t imagine yourself becoming an emergency physician after volunteering in
the ED, consider getting involved in a different healthcare setting.
For example, surgery is pretty awesome!
There is a variety of ways to gain clinical exposure.
Volunteering in the hospital is the most basic and common method, where you approach your
local hospital or clinic and sign up to be a volunteer.
While not a bad place to start, there are better options that provide you with more
health-focused tasks rather than scutwork.
Some ways to gain greater clinical relevancy with your volunteer work is to join an organization
designed for pre-meds.
At my undergrad, there were several organizations that offered clinical volunteering for pre-meds.
They also had a fairly competitive application process.
Some of these organizations are also tailored for clinical research that you perform, with
the added benefit of increased exposure and interaction with patients and physicians.
More on that in a little bit.
Next you can do Shadowing.
Shadowing physicians is important, but it’s mostly to demonstrate to the admissions committee
that you are committed to medicine and understand what it means to be a physician, not what’s
portrayed on TV.
However, shadowing is a fairly passive process where you just observe.
While you are still learning, you’re not pushing your own limits, learning new skills,
or accomplishing a great deal.
This is important, but don’t spend too much time on Shadowing.
Next, you can also get certified to work in healthcare and other areas such as a scribe,
EMT, ER Tech, Medical Assistant, etc.
I didn’t do this, but these are certainly great ways to get immersed and make money
while you’re doing it.
If you want to take up a job as a pre-med, this is not a bad option.
Last, mission trips can be a good way to gain exposure while traveling and helping in underserved
communities.
I participated in one of these programs.
The ethical discussion of such trips is beyond the scope of this video – just know that
not all mission trips are created equal.
You ultimately want to be making a positive impact on the place you visit.
Next up is Research.
Research is not mandatory for gaining admission into a medical school.
However, if you are going for a highly ranked med school, research becomes increasingly
important.
Research demonstrates that you understand the scientific process, that you will likely
continue performing research and producing publications moving forward, and that you
are committed to progress and improvement of the medical field.
Research for pre-meds is primarily divided into basic and clinical research.
Basic includes benchwork where you are pipetting, working with mice, etc.
Think wet lab.
Clinical research on the other hand is where you are performing research with actual patients.
Think databases, surveys, etc.
I ended up doing both while in college.
So, my basic science research position was in a cancer lab, and I was paid hourly at
a fairly good rate.
Most research positions, however, do not pay, they are usually volunteer positions.
You may have to start with an unpaid volunteer position and build up your experience to qualify
for a paid position.
My clinical research position overlapped with volunteering.
I worked in the ED and enrolled patients who met inclusion criteria into a study.
I was able to interact with patients, physicians, and the whole healthcare team.
Equally important, during down time I was able to explore patient care outside of the
OR, which is where I witnessed a neurosurgical intervention for the first time and got exposed
to surgery.
Like many things in life, you get out what you put in.
Last, don't forget to pursue and cultivate your fun extracurriculars.
Like I said earlier, be sure to enjoy your summer as well.
You can do this while also building your CV and application.
This should be something you enjoy outside of Medicine.
All applicants are going to have clinical experience volunteering, most will have research,
they'll have an MCAT score and a GPA, but these fun extracurriculars will be unique
to just you.
They make you more three-dimensional.
For example, I had a friend who started a longboarding Club which has nothing to do
with medicine, but it demonstrated initiative, passion and leadership abilities and he had
a blast while he was doing it.
Now, I joined a competitive dance team and picked up graphic design using Photoshop Illustrator
and InDesign.
I ultimately obtained a leadership position and we went to place at several competitions.
This similarly demonstrated leadership skills and creative or artistic qualities which were
very fitting for plastic surgery.
Alright guys, those are my six tips for your summer break.
I hope you found them helpful.
Let us know in the comments of what your summer break plans are.
Thank you all so much for watching.
If you liked this video, make sure you press that like button.
New videos every week, so hit subscribe if you have not already and I will see you guys
in that next one.