Everyone learns differently…no duh but actually so true

I’m sure y’all have heard about different learning styles, so much so that you probably have ear callouses 💀 BUT hear me out, this is super important in med school, esp transitioning from pre-clin to clin. And imma just focus on two broad category - practical v textbook learner. 

First of all, IT’S A PROCESS, a process that took me nearly 2 years to figure out so don’t fret if you feel like you have no idea how to juggle placement time v desktop study time until end of 1st year clin or even beyond. BUT if I could give MD1 me any advice, it would be to actually sit down and think about how I learn best (ugh boring I know but I promise it will save you so much grief later) 

Why do I think knowing if you’re a practical or textbook leaner is particularly important for clin years? Cuz you will hear all kinds of advice about how much time to spend in hospital v at home or in a library or wherever you study best. I’ve heard anything from “wish I spent so much less time in hospital, so much wasted time hanging round doing and learning nothing” to “wish I took greater advantage of all the hosp opportunities afforded to me and less buried in the library” to my fav “it’s such a nice/sunny day outside, go home, go to the beach, go out and have fun, you have plenty of time to be stuck in hospital and do evening/night shifts for the rest of your life”. So which advice is right? Which should you follow? *screams in existential crisis and imposter syndrome* 

My answer? Any one of the above ans can be correct, not really helpful (YET) but stay w me. These paradoxical advice actually illustrates my point exactly → if you’re a practical learner, I say 80:20 or 70:30 placement:textbook but if you’re more of a textbook learner, flip it. Obviously, if your clin school has mandatory check in and out, my condolences. You also cannot not go to placement at all cuz at the end of the day you have to interact w patients (unless path or radio is your cuppa tea 😂) (also I personally no someone they had to repeat the year just because they didn’t show up to placement enough after multiple warnings 💀). But at the same time, you still need to learn a lot of the pharm and pathophys and med school shit to pass the year so can’t be in hospital 24/7, not to mention all the assignments and assessments scattered throughout the year.

So your job as a med student is to figure out what’s the best use of your time. Personally, I found I’m more of a practical learner and easily get bored or distracted at the desk so I take the first option. What you can take out of this is that you don’t have to feel obliged to stay in the ward round or hospital if you’re not getting anything from it.

I shall end this post w a quote from the esteemed Sir William Osler whose wisdom surpasses the mortal realm.