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Medical Student Blog

Dive into topics around life in medical school, study tips, and more.

Most Recent Posts

How to Do Well on Rotations: Being an Amazing MS3

Moving from the preclinical to the clinical setting is one of the most difficult transitions in a young doctor’s career. Now that you’ve spent years learning basic science and memorizing countless drug names in a classroom, it’s time to take that knowledge and apply it

July 27, 2022

Relationships in Medical School

Do You Have to Do a Fellowship After Residency? Your Options in Internal Medicine

Lecturio’s Qbank and How it Can Transform Your Studies

How to Do Well on Rotations: Being an Amazing MS3

Relationships in Medical School

Medical school has the reputation of being a long and lonely road. You’ll spend a lot of time by yourself studying, but is it really as isolating as it sounds? Actually, medical school is just like any school in

Do You Have to Do a Fellowship After Residency? Your Options in Internal Medicine

Successful residency graduates often have their choice of jobs when they finish, but how do you navigate the challenge of deciding which one is right for you? This guide will tell you all about your career options in general

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All About the USMLE

When to Take Step 2 CK And What to Expect

Prepare for the Step 2 CK with all the right resources and planning. With the recent changes to Step exams, it is going to be

How to Study for USMLE® Step 1 – and All You Need to Know

The United States Medical Licensing Examination is a rite of passage for any student hoping to practice medicine in the United States. As the first

How to Annotate First Aid® for the USMLE®

First Aid® is THE reference book for medical school and the USMLE®. But can it be more? Here’s my advice on how to annotate your

Med School Life

How to Do Well on Rotations: Being an Amazing MS3

Moving from the preclinical to the clinical setting is one of the most difficult transitions in a young doctor’s career. Now that you’ve spent years

Relationships in Medical School

Medical school has the reputation of being a long and lonely road. You’ll spend a lot of time by yourself studying, but is it really

Lecturio’s Qbank and How it Can Transform Your Studies

The Internet is full of study tips, tricks, hacks, and resources. However, not all of them are created equal. One great resource at your disposal

Residency and Beyond

Do You Have to Do a Fellowship After Residency? Your Options in Internal Medicine

Successful residency graduates often have their choice of jobs when they finish, but how do you navigate the challenge of deciding which one is right

Is Being a Doctor Worth It?

What does it mean to be a doctor? During a physician’s training, when the hours are long, the pay is low, and the days seem

Why Do Doctors Have Bad Handwriting?

Growing up in school, I was always an excellent student. Well, almost always. Amidst the straight As and other top marks on my grade school

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Meet our Writers

The Best Medical Student Blogs

Don’t know which blogs you should be reading? Don’t know how to navigate through med school? Here’s a list of blogs that range from what pre-med you should be taking to your life in residency. In no particular order, we’ve selected them according to their relevance to medical students, their range of topics, activity level, and what makes them special.

How to Effectively Use Lecturio Concept Pages

As a third-year medical student currently in clinical rotations, Lecturio’s concept pages have easily replaced endless Google searches and are helping me focus on absorbing accurate and updated information.

The Best Medical Schools in the Philippines

The Philippines has 60+ medical schools to choose from, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Here, we have a list of some of the top medical schools in the Philippines.

How to Get Through Cadaver Lab

When I started medical school, there were many challenges I encountered. One of them was my first few days of anatomy lab. As I stood in front of a blue body bag atop a long silver table, I wrestled with my own unsettling feelings about meeting my first ever patient.

Do Patients Trust Their Doctors Less Than They Used To?

With the recent coronavirus pandemic, people are increasingly saying, “I don’t trust doctors anymore.” With conflicting viewpoints presented on all sides, charged conversations, the availability of high- and low-quality evidence at the click of a button, and the ability to rapidly spread information, both true and false, from one person to another, it might seem like trust in doctors is at an all-time low. But is it true that people trust their doctors less than they used to? What might be the reasons for this lack of trust, and how can we, as doctors, improve the trust our patients have in us?

Why Can’t I Stop Procrastinating? How to Overcome the Medical Student’s Nightmare

Medical school can get overwhelming, so it’s no surprise that at some point, we become hesitant to study or we avoid it altogether. Imagine wanting to get started on work and saying, “I’ll get started in an hour” and one hour passes after another, and your work is still untouched. This is the terrifying phenomenon of procrastination.

Finding Fun Ways to Study in Med School

Let’s face it, studying isn’t the most exciting task. Even if you do find studying fun, the amount of studying in med school will make pretty much anyone tired of it. In this article, we’re going to go through a few tips and tricks that may help you and give you a few ideas along the way. But first, let’s look into what makes medicine so hard to study.

What is a Medical Fellowship?

Fellows are medical doctors who have completed their residency and elected to do additional training in a specific subject area. Learn more about fellowships to help you decide if you should pursue one.

Studying Together: Should I Join a Study Group?

Studying alone can sometimes be daunting, especially with the heavy workload that comes with med school. While there is no right or wrong answer in choosing what’s right for you, that’s where study groups can be helpful in changing things up.

How Much is Medical School? What to Expect and Tips for Dealing With the Cost

Figuring out how to pay for medical school is daunting. The first time you look at the cost of school and see an alphabet soup of loan repayment options like PAYE, REPAYE, IBR, IDR, and PSLF, it’s enough to give anyone anxiety! Thankfully, there are plenty of options for aspiring doctors both to save during medical school and to pay back their loans as a physician.

Student hunched over desk seeming stressed

Failing in Medical School

As medical students, we study day and night, trying to learn how to save and improve the lives of our patients. Because of this, it can feel like we always have to be perfect. But today, we’re going to look into the big bad ‘F’ word that many students fear: Failure.

What is the Role of a Mentor in Medicine?

Medical school can be hard enough to get through, and it’s even harder to get through alone. Mentors have been recognized as a key to success in medical school. Despite this importance, not all schools have mentorship implemented in their programs.

Specialty Spotlight: The Pros and Cons of Emergency Medicine

So you’re thinking about becoming an emergency medicine physician? We sat down with Jill W., MD, MS, FCEP, FAAEM, DABT from Jacksonville, Florida to talk about what it’s like to work in this specialty. Learn about her experience and gain general insights on working in the ER.

Group of medical workers in a hospital smiling into the camera

What is Residency Like? A Day in the Life of a Medical Resident

What is residency like? For the average internal medicine resident on a ward rotation, it’s always a jam-packed day! In sharp contrast to medical school, you’ll be getting paid for the hours you’re working, but it probably means working quite a few more hours than you’re used to! Here’s what a typical day in the life of an internal medicine resident was like for me.

Woman studying in bed with laptop and drinking coffee

Set Up Your Study Space for Success: Staying Healthy While Studying

Studying for hours at a time in a hunched over position can take a toll. Instead of normalizing unhealthy habits, let’s talk about how to stay sane and in good health during intense study periods!

Patient Relations: The Importance of Doctor-Patient Communication

As patients, none of us want to be treated inconsiderately while we’re suffering. So, the least we can do as doctors is lighten the load as much as we can.

Physical Examination: Learning How to Assess Patients

When it comes to practicing medicine, no skills are more fundamental than history taking and physical examination. In the hands of an experienced practitioner, a thorough exam is a virtual arsenal of tools to use to arrive at a diagnosis. Developing your physical exam ability seems daunting, but with practice and dedicated time, you will find yourself surprised at how quickly you can master this essential skill.

Specialty Spotlight: A Day in the Life of a Dermatologist

So you’re thinking about becoming a dermatologist? We sat down with Jeremy G., MD from Georgia to talk about what it’s like to work in this specialty. Learn about his experience and gain general insights on working in dermatology.

How to Prepare for a Residency Interview

Learn all about the residency interview process from someone who has experienced it, and prepare yourself for common residency interview questions.

Woman sitting at desk, in thought and seemingly anxious

Am I Smart Enough to Be a Doctor? Imposter Syndrome in Medical School

Have you ever felt that you were not fit for a job even though you had trained for the position for a long time, earning your own credentials, and putting in hard work, only to be swamped in self-doubt? If so, you may have been experiencing imposter syndrome.

What to Bring to a Medical School Interview–And What to Expect

Your scores and letters of recommendation speak for themselves. Now it’s time to present yourself in person at your medical school interviews!

Common Myths about Medical School

Is medical school all it’s cracked up to be? Time to dispel some common myths!

Specialty Spotlight: How to Become a Psychiatrist

So you’re thinking about becoming a psychiatrist? We sat down with Young J., MD, child and adolescent psychiatry fellow at the University of Florida, to talk about what it’s like to work in this specialty. Learn about his experience and gain general insights on working in psychiatry.

What Happens After Residency: 5 Things to Expect

From taking the MCAT to preparing for the USMLE® and earning a place in your dream residency program, thousands of resources and tips and experiences are easy to find. But what happens after residency? Take the next step in your path to becoming a practicing physician.

Specialty Spotlight: The Life of a Pediatrician

So you’re thinking about becoming a pediatrician? We sat down with Emanuele M., MD to talk about what it’s like to work in this specialty. Learn about his experience and gain general insights on working in pediatrics.

Pandemic Perspectives: Clinical Clerkship during COVID-19

Med school is hard enough, but having to complete clinical clerkships during a pandemic is even harder! Learn how Bianca, a medical student from the Philippines, still found creative ways to learn.

Specialty Spotlight: Steps to Becoming an OBGYN

So you’re thinking about becoming an OBGYN? We sat down with Suzanne J., an MD from Cleveland, OH to talk about what it’s like to work in this specialty. Learn about her experience and gain general insights on working in obstetrics and gynecology.

Taking Up a Double Degree in Business and Medicine

A medical degree is something that many people consider to be hard to obtain because of the time and effort it takes to earn. But did you know that there are programs for other degrees you can take with it? You might be thinking you don’t have the time for two degrees, and you might be right. This path isn’t for everyone.

Specialty Spotlight: Why Should I Choose Internal Medicine?

So you’re thinking about becoming an internist? We sat down with Lindsay J., MD from Washington State to talk about what it’s like to work in this specialty. Learn about her experience and gain general insights on working in internal medicine.

Preparing for Medical School

You passed the MCAT or the medical school entrance exam of your country. Congratulations! Just because you passed doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods just yet… After passing my country’s National Medical Admissions Test (NMAT), I was relieved. But at the same time, I felt like I couldn’t rest because there was still a lot I had to do. So let’s get into some of the things that still need to be done:

My First Clinical Clerkship In The US: Overcoming Difficulties

Obtaining hands-on, United States-based clinical experience (USCE) is a difficult and financially straining goal. Clinical electives and clerkships for international medical graduates (IMGs) are vital parts of their resumes when it comes to matching into residency. What should a student expect when s/he finally manages to obtain one? I was lucky enough to be admitted to a clinical elective at Mayo Clinic as my first experience in the US, back in 2019. Little did I know that I would be faced with difficulties I couldn’t imagine during my regular courses.

A Medical Student’s Mental Health

On my first day of medical school, we were told that “medical school is a marathon, not a sprint.” What makes med school so stressful and what can you do about it?

Pandemic Perspectives: Advocating for Pandemic Preparedness in Academia

Nicolas Kioko, a fourth year medical student at Moi University School of Medicine working toward an MBBS degree, had to develop his own type of coursework when his classes were put on pause for almost a year because of COVID-19. Discover how he adapted to his scenario and what COVID has taught him about being a doctor.

My USMLE® Step 2 CK Experience: Is It Really Easier?

With all the information floating around on the internet about how hard the USMLE® Step 1 is, a lot of people dismiss Step 2 CK as just another, much easier, step up the United States residency ladder. This assumption is entirely false and I’ve had the misfortune of experiencing the negative effects of making this assumption personally. This is my USMLE® Step 2 CK experience and how it shaped my path toward residency.

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A Guide to the Alternatives to Medical School and Clinical Practice

Most of us spend a lot of time thinking about our decisions before and after we’ve made them. We constantly ask ourselves “What if?” and “What comes next?”, making sure that we don’t regret the next step we take. Going to medical school is no exception. Some people eventually realize it’s not for them. So, we ask ourselves, “What’s the next step?”

Pandemic Perspectives: Learning How to Push Yourself Academically

The ability to maintain motivation while keeping up with assignments was an important lesson learned by Giorgi Maziashvili, a fourth-year medical school student at Tbilisi State Medical University. Learn more about how he worked to overcome both academic and mental well-being challenges.

My USMLE® Step 1 Experience: An IMG’s Tips for Test Day

Are you preparing to take Step 1 as an IMG? Learn about the test day experience from someone who has gone through it – and excelled.

Should I Go to Medical School?

If you’re thinking about becoming a medical student, then great! The world could use more doctors. You may have heard that medical students give their best years, and acquire mountains of debt, just to study hours on end about diseases affecting people they’ve never met. A lot of it is true, but that’s only part of the story. It’s time to dispel some hesitations and answer some of the most common questions about the medical school experience.

A Day in the Life of a Medical Student

What is it like to study medicine in the Philippines? Fourth-year medical student Bianca shares what her pre-COVID daily routine was like, as well as a few tips for students to make the most out of a busy schedule.

What is a Good USMLE® Step 1 Score, and How Can I Earn One?

Getting a good score on the USMLE® is one of the most important steps on your way to gaining a competitive residency position after medical school. What is a good Step 1 score anyway?

All You Need to Know About the Upcoming USMLE® Changes

The USMLE® has always been an important and pivotal exam during your medical school years. In 2021 and 2022, though, the Step exams will change to help students be able to succeed beyond just exam scores, as well as to adapt the exams to the times of COVID-19.