Summer Plans - Med Student Edition

1

It seems crazy to be writing about summer plans as yet another blizzard is dumping snow outside the window, but summer is only 4 months away!! I figured it's about time for another Medical Monday post and since I'm in the midst of figuring out my summer plans, I thought I'd share some of the opportunities available to medical students after surviving the first year.

2

First of all, I want to stress that there isn't one specific "right" thing that you need to do the summer after first year. It really depends on many different factors including what areas of medicine you're interested in, your personal preferences, your financial needs, and of course your emotional well-being! For example, my decision wasn't a difficult one to make because I had some pretty clear cues to guide me. Since both Spencer and I are full-time students, the financial aspect is a biggie. I have to do something that will make a little bit of money that can go towards things like a second car for when we're both on clinical rotations. Also, I'm not sure of the specialty I want to go into yet, but a couple of the ones I'm interested in want students to have some research experience. That's why I'm pursuing a research position. There's no guarantee that I'll get one that's paid, but I'm applying to the work-study program and keeping my fingers crossed!

3

While I obviously think that research has its benefits, that doesn't mean that its right for you. Maybe you hated doing research in undergrad and want nothing to do with it in medical school. Or maybe the area of medicine you're interested in most is very clinically-based and you'd benefit more from working on you're clinical skills. I know lots of classmates who absolutely love pure clinical medicine and find research really boring. An awesome option that my school offers for students interested in delving into clinical medicine is "the Clinical Experience". This is a 6-credit summer elective that allows you to go on rotations with physicians in several different specialties. Even if your school doesn't offer this option, you could create your own clinical experience by shadowing with several different docs and learning from their years of practice.

4

Maybe you don't even want to do anything remotely related to medicine during your "last summer of freedom". I have a few friends who are doing some really incredible things like traveling Europe this summer. I think that's amazing and I swear I'm not jealous of them (ok, I'm so totally jealous). You might also just really need a break after the insanity that medical school can be. That's ok too! Living in such a high-stress, competitive environment can color our perception of what's important in life. Just remember that medicine and your career aren't everything. You are so much more than just a medical student and there's so much more to life than just medical school. Do something that you're going to enjoy and benefit the most from. Don't let other people pressure you into doing something that's going to make you unhappy. You control you're own life and your own happiness. In all aspects of life, including what you're doing the summer after first year, choose happiness :)