October 27, 2020January 22, 2021 monicarose

Talking about the medical school journey

Medical School

Whether it feels like it or not, the holiday season is coming up fast, and for many of us that usually means spending time catching up with family and friends.  Even though this year may look different in terms of connecting with loved ones, I hope we still are able to get some valuable time in with them, even if it’s virtually.  With this thought in mind, for my November PhiDE post I decided to write something that you might be able to share with your loved ones, specifically those that are not in the medical field. 

This journey to becoming a doctor is a long one with lots of steps and tests and applications.  I personally have found it confusing myself, and as I am explaining the steps to my loved ones it can get even more confusing and tiring.  As a first generation college student, my parents and family have always needed some explanations as far as what steps I’m currently at, and what I need from them. I figure I’m not alone in this, so here’s a picture of an abbreviated summary of the steps of medical school, at least from my perspective.

This is obviously a long and complicated process.  I honestly would have loved to have an image like this at the beginning of medical school, and I’ll be working on future posts that break down the medical school journey even further specifically for medical students. 

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For those of you explaining the process to family, here are some of my tips in addition to helping them understand with some type of outline like I made above:

Although it may take some patience, taking the time to help your support system understand what you’re going through is well worth it.

Some days you might not be up for explaining why your upcoming exam is so important, and that’s okay.  But, eventually, taking the time to talk it all out with your loved ones will be an investment that’s truly worth it, and may even help avoid some fights in the future.

Specifically talk with your support system about the immediate next step or stressor.

Trying to explain the entire process can quickly get overwhelming, so focusing on what is chronologically the next big step can be helpful. 

Things like the USMLE Step 1 and 2 were definitely talked about and explained multiple times, and it helped both me and my family to be able to give space to the amount of stress those things brought on. In other words, after talking about “the next big thing” being Step 1 for a few months leading up to it, I felt my loved ones were primed to support me however they could when dedicated study time came up. 

Don’t forget to talk about the good stuff too.

Although your loved ones are absolutely needed for the days you need to vent about the difficulties you’re facing, I think it’s equally as important to share the triumphs and the positive experiences with them. 

All of your exciting “firsts” as a medical student are things that you might not think much of until you’re sharing it with someone else. For me at least, I feel that the moments I would pause and realize how far I had come would happen when I was sharing updates with my support system. It really is crazy how something can seem so ordinary when you’re immersed in the medical world; but, when you’re talking with someone outside the medical field, they are often the best ones to remind you what an exciting privilege it is to be on this path.