personal statement medical school

In medical school, all-nighters are inevitable. With voluminous work and time pressure that prevail in medical school, you are left with no choice but to pull an all-nighter. This is considered by many medical students as a “rite of passage” to be able to qualify to the medical world. This unavoidable choice has consequences, especially because losing hours of sleep is unhealthy. Below are some tips to aid you in coping with medical school all-nighters.

Limit sugar and caffeine intake

Most all-nighters take in soda, chocolate, coffee, soda, energy drinks and candy to keep them awake all night through. While this is not a healthy habit, it is practiced by medical students with the need to cope with work the whole night. However, the intake of sugary food and caffeinated beverages will affect your concentration, which can seriously affect the way you think during examinations. Instead, an alternative would be to take in protein-rich foods such as cheese and sandwiches rather than having caffeine and sweets for midnight snacks. This is a healthier habit since protein-rich food improves metabolism, boosts brain power, and develops immunities.

Find time to get more sleep

Even if all-nighters are required to be awake the whole night, it is advisable to find some time to take an hour-long nap. This is where a system such as team work in a study group comes in. Since most all-nighters are spent with a group of classmates, request one of your classmates if it is possible to cover for you while you doze off. You can also cover for your classmate the next time. Find the best way to make this possible since when you are deprived of sleep it affects your concentration and eventually your health. Lack of concentration affects your decision-making skills, and even turns you moody. Keep in mind that when you are too sleepy to work the next day, it will not give you any benefit.

It is not wise to pull an all-nighter every time a chance comes along as it is very dangerous to your health. Insufficient sleeping time will drastically impact on your Circadian rhythms, and even your short-term memory. Thus, to avoid all-nighters, make sure you are focused during classes. Recently, studies show that medical students who frequently pull all-nighters have low GPAs. In the end, lack of sleep will prevent you from reaching your full academic potential instead of improving your academic standing. So, do you still want to have all-nighters during exam weeks?

Photo Credit : TheTruthAbout

What qualities make doctors successful? Maybe medical doctors or even medical students themselves will have difficulty in answering when asked this question. Some may say their outstanding grades, others their excellent choice of a medical school and others their determination. These are all contributory factors toward being a successful doctor. Getting categorical answers entail additional reading and research; but if you are curious enough, here are some tips to start reading and help you become a great physician someday:

Successful doctors are excellent communicators

Active interaction with colleagues and other members of society is inevitable as well as important in medical practice. In a sample case: Dr. Cristina Yang of Grey’s Anatomy. Dr. Yang graduated with top honors from Stanford Medical School and received her PhD from Berkeley. She has excellent surgical skills and is like a walking medical textbook. Dr. Yang however is not at ease talking with her patients or able to handle well the delivery of terrible news. In this case, people skills are missing. In medical practice, a balanced medical aptitude and social skills is a must if you want to be a successful doctor. Patients are people and need special care during their unhealthy times; treating with sensitivity is necessary.

Successful doctors are keen observers

Doctors need to be observant during treatment of diseases and disorders. Some symptoms may be small or light but can be even more serious. Malaria for example starts with a tiny mosquito bite, and cancer begins with a small malignant tumor. Being keen on details is very important in medical practice as it will help you easily identify the cause of an illness of a patient or related problem. Having an eye for your patient’s situation will help you save lives. In medical practice, you have to stay alert and observant at all times before things get worse. Being vigilant helps you build a successful career in medicine.

Successful doctors are time management experts

Yes, time management is very essential to medical practice. Time management skill starts right when you enter medical school and not during medical residency only. Starting to practice time management skills during medical school does not only help you study well and get more sleep but also to build and excellent medical career. Getting well organized will help you avoid laziness and tardiness, your class schedules will be planned earlier and get you to bed on time as scheduled.

Photo Credit : Waldo Jaquith

In writing references in the text, the AMA style is the proper format used. The AMA style is developed by the American Medical Association to be used in writing research papers or documents on medicine, science and other health-related subject matters. This style in citing references is used not only by medical practitioners and medical journalists but also by medical students and medical professors.

General guidelines in AMA style

All references are listed according to chronological appearance on the text when enumerated at the end of the paper. If text reference are indicated, each source entry must be numbered appropriately and not with bullets. All the elements of citation must be separated by periods, regardless of the source type.

Element chronology for book citations:

* author’s name
* chapter title
* editor’s name/translator’s name
* book title
* volume number
* book edition
* place of publication
* book publisher
* copyright year
* page numbers

General rules in citing books

In the case of the absence of some of the elements in your source there’s no need to worry, just skip them then follow the same chronology. In book citations, if you need to specify pages of the book, include or directly cite the page numbers. For the author’s name, make sure to follow the “<last name>, <first name>, <middle initial> format.

Element chronology for journal articles:

* article title and subtitle
* journal’s abbreviated name
* year published
* volume number
* supplement number
* page numbers

General rules in citing journal articles

When journals are being cited, the citation is not similar to book citations. You do not need to write down the first name of the writer in the journal article being cited. You only need to follow the format “<last name>, <first name initial> <middle initial>”.

Element chronology for Internet sources:

* name of author
* webpage name or title of article
* URL source
* date accessed

General rules in citing Internet sources

In the AMA style, although now allowed, citing Internet sources is not advisable. To make the citing of the internet articles more appropriate, indicate inside brackets if the internet source is an abstract of a study or an article in an online journal. Remember that it is very important to include the proper notation of the online journal cited in the text all the time.

Photo Credit : geishaboy500

The good news is that foreign students like you have an equal chance to qualify for a US medical school. American medical schools are more interested in the student’s medical and academic potential, than in their religion and ethnicity. If you are an excellent student, especially in the sciences, you have a strong chance in getting into a US medical school. However, you need to read the following points to know what can further strengthen your application.

Speak the language

While race is not an issue, not being able to speak English can be a big problem. Even if you are gifted with a brilliant mind, you cannot learn in a US medical school if you do not speak or understand English. English is the language used for instruction, medical oral reports and written case studies. So, you have to practice your written and spoken English first before applying into medical school. Your English courses prior to medical school must be quite advanced. Note that you have to learn more technical terms; not knowing English in general will heighten your confusion. Even in practical exercises, such as dissections, you will deal with English instructions from your professor.  You will be needing the language not only in keeping up with your lessons but also with socialization. Life in the US can be very lonely if you cannot communicate with its people.

State your case

Even your medical application essay requires proper understanding of English. Remember that you will be competing against American candidates who have the benefit of having English as their first language and of being used to an American education. Foreign students, on the other hand, have the advantage of being able to a show a different perspective. Write well to communicate your unique point of view. Express your reasons for choosing an American medical school instead of one from your own country. Give some insights as to the state of the medical profession in your own country. Your application essay must be unique, interesting, written well, and honest.

In the end, if equipped with the English language, you have as much chance as an American to get into a US medical school. Your origins will not be held against you. You can do your part by submitting an excellent medical application essay together with all other requirements.

Photo Credit : Dominic’s pics