Related Posts:
- 6 Strategies For Studying 2 Weeks Before Finals
- 6 Ways To Study In Final Year Of Medical School
- 11 Lessons I Learned In Medical School – Non-Medical Advice
Have you recently graduated medical school? If yes, congratulations! It was definitely not an easy feat to accomplish.
I have just recently graduated and obtained my Bachelor in Medicine & Bachelor in Surgery (MBBS) degree in November 2022. In the meantime, I am awaiting my internship or in Malaysia, we call it “housemanship” to serve in the government sector.
At the time being, the waiting period lasts around 3-6 months after placing our application. Previously, the waiting period could last up to a year or even more.
While awaiting our placement in internship, some of us would take up this opportunity to learn a new skill, work part-time, continue studying or just take this time to relax and unwind and travel.
The downside to this is that after burning the midnight oil for countless of hours as we approach the exam and probably learning the most out of our whole medical school journey, our knowledge start to diminish. No doubt we think we may remember, but it’s surprising how easily we forget them in such a short duration of time being idle. At least for me it is.
While taking this time to slow down is good, it is also best to keep refreshing our knowledge once in a while as we are without a doubt going to be practicing medicine for a lifetime and remembering what we have learnt would definitely come in handy as we start our work in the medical field.
Here are a few tips on how to stay “fresh” in our knowledge while awaiting our placement in internship.
1. LISTEN To Podcasts
A favourite go-to podcast of mine is “Zero-to-Finals” by Tom.
Ranging from various postings in Medicine and Surgery, “Zero-to-Finals” is my definite favourite to listen to since medical school. Not forgetting, his notes are complete which is easy to follow and concise.
There are several other podcasts available, which does not necessarily have to be on just the academic portion of medicine. It may be regarding anything down to mental health or even general well-being.
If you would like to utilise this time to take a break from medicine, there are various other podcasts which are equally beneficial as well as educational too.
2. LISTEN To Audiobooks
A favourite website of mine is Scribd.
This is my second favourite place to hang after Zero-to-Finals. Being an avid reader, I used to binge read multiple books before entering into medical school. However, ever since I started my medical school journey, the only books that I have spent time reading would be the textbooks or any guidelines or articles related to the topics of my subjects.
I started diving back into “reading” when I discovered audiobooks. Somehow, slowing down and just reading a book does not do me well as I find myself easily falling asleep and forgoing many things on my daily “to-do” list, by listening to audiobooks, I am able to multitask which helps me in staying awake and listening. Besides that, I am able to finish a book rather quickly as I find myself binge-listening.
Ranging from fictional to non-fictional audiobooks and multiple textbooks which are available in PDF format and some even in audio format, Scribd is a place I highly recommend you to take a dive into.
3. Tutor Medical Students
No one learns more than the person who teaches.
Plus, you could even use this time to earn some side income. There are always juniors who are in need of some extra guidance and where I’m from, extra classes or “tuitions” in medical school are unheard of.
Why not share your knowledge as we all know, learning a topic and finally grasping the concepts can be rather tedious which required us to spend countless of hours just reading or watching multiple videos on YouTube.
In addition to that, you will remember even longer by teaching as you are required to remember and teach.
4. Teach A Course
Be it on medicine in general or just certain specialised posting or even a crash course, generating a course online serves as an asset for passive income in the future or even one now if you have an established amount of followers on YouTube or even certain websites.
If not, it’s time to put in the work, if this is the kind of thing you would be interested in, and create a course.
With that being said, do checkout my Crash Course, called the MBBS FlashDash, designed to aid Final Year Medical Students who will be sitting for their Finals soon. Videos with guided and in depth explanations are available on my YouTube channel as well as Flashcards which are available on Pinterest.
5. Watch YouTube Videos On Medical Knowledge
Another “go-to” of mine in medical school since early years would be “Geeky Medics”. Rather than reading the whole “Macleod’s Clinical Examination” which is highly recommended, by the way, Geeky Medics’ approach to history taking and physical examination is rather focused and not to mention, easy to follow.
Since “practicing medicine” is basically putting into action the clinical examination as well as data interpretation we have learnt in medical school, now is a good time to refresh our knowledge on it and practice it on our family members or friends or even a mannequin (if you have one).
6. Read Your Old Notes
As we approach our finals during our final year in medical school, most of us would’ve acquired a series of concise notes, either of our own or handed down from our seniors which definitely served us more than the regular textbooks.
Thus, it’s time to go through them one posting at a time and reread at your own pace.
7. Volunteer Or Work At A Clinic Or NGO
True, we do not have our full registration licence yet. Hence, we are not able to apply for a position as a “Practicing Doctor” in the private sector, at least here in Malaysia, it is that way.
However, there are many clinics or bodies who would be interested in acquiring extra hands or help. You are even able to earn some side income as a Doctor’s Assistant or Medical Assistant.
Ignore the title and just go for it. After all, it is only a matter of a few months to a year at most. What matters here is the amount of learning and exposure you will attain during this period which will better equip you during your internship / housemanship period.
Any form of knowledge is wealth.
Here are just a few tips on how to remember what you have learnt in medical school after graduating. This may not be the only road one would be interested in undertaking.
Granted there are many other routes or approaches that you could take as well.
Whatever it may be regarding your chosen endeavours, spend it wisely and all the best for your future!
Related Posts:
- 6 Strategies For Studying 2 Weeks Before Finals
- 6 Ways To Study In Final Year Of Medical School
- 11 Lessons I Learned In Medical School – Non-Medical Advice
The Theoretical Doctor 