For those of you who are just starting out in medical school, planning is essential to help you meet your academic goals.
Planning can also make sure that your time as a student maximizes your educational experience and prepares you for life beyond med school.
Here are some tips to follow:
1. Start early.
If you’re like most medical students, your life is already busy enough. Between studying for exams and working on research projects, it can be difficult to find time for anything else.
But if there’s one thing we can guarantee about your future career as a physician: You’ll need to maintain high levels of personal productivity in order to succeed.
So start early!
Set goals now so that when it comes time for those big milestones later on–like residency applications or board exams–you have plenty of time left over from all those other responsibilities to work toward them effectively.
2. Set realistic goals and expectations.
Your goal should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely.
For example: “I will score an A on both exams this week” is a good goal because it is specific (the student knows exactly what they want), measurable (it can be measured by exam scores), attainable (the student has all the resources at hand) relevant (the student understands why this goal matters) timely (it sets a deadline).
You also want to make sure they are realistic. If a physician is wanting to become a millionaire radiation oncologist, they should first consider the average radiation oncologist’s salary, and see if this is realistic.
3. Be flexible with your goals.
Medical school is a long, rigorous journey that can take many years to complete.
You may find that the original academic plan you created for yourself doesn’t match up with reality when it’s time to apply for residency training positions or take the USMLE exams.
If this happens, don’t panic! It’s okay if things don’t go according to plan–just adjust accordingly and try again later on down the road when things have settled down a bit more.
4. Know Yourself
In order to set and achieve academic goals, it is important to know what you are good at and what you struggle with.
This includes an honest assessment of your strengths and weaknesses, as well as how you learn best (e.g., visual learner or auditory).
Also consider the motivation that drives your desire to succeed in medical school, as well as any distractions that may hinder it (e.g., family obligations).
5. Create a Plan of Action
Set a timeline for each goal. This will help you to stay on track and give yourself some flexibility if things don’t go as planned.
Make sure all relevant people know about the goals you have set for yourself–especially those who can help hold you accountable!
Share this information with them early on so they know what’s coming up in terms of deadlines or other tasks related directly back towards achieving those larger objectives.
6. Keep Track of Your Progress and Adjustments
It can be helpful to keep a log of your activities, including the time spent on each activity and its outcome. This will help you identify what works well for you and where there might be room for improvement in your study habits.
If something isn’t working out quite right with one part of your plan, don’t be afraid to make changes! There’s no such thing as an ideal medical school schedule (or any other kind).
7. Take advantage of resources available to you.
If you’re struggling with a concept or assignment, don’t be afraid to reach out! Your professors are there to support you and help guide you through the process of understanding new material.
Medical school is full of opportunities to learn how-to perform various medical procedures that require hands-on practice; however, there are also many more resources available than what can be learned in class alone.
Look for textbooks, journal articles and websites that offer additional information on topics covered during lectures or labs.
If there’s something specific that you want more info about try searching Google Scholar first before searching elsewhere because it often times provides better results than other search engines due its focus on academic papers rather than news articles.
8. Be proactive in asking for help when needed.
You should not wait until you are in crisis or have already failed an exam before seeking assistance.
If your school has an academic advisor, they are a great resource who can help put together a plan that meets your needs and goals.
If not, there are many other options available: friends, family members, mentors and faculty members who can assist with studying tips and strategies.
9. Celebrate your achievements along the way!
It’s important to celebrate your achievements, even if they’re small ones. If you set a goal and achieve it, that’s something worth celebrating.
Achieving academic goals will help build self-confidence, which will make it easier for you to reach future ones.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many different ways to set and achieve academic goals. The most important thing is that you find what works best for you.
It may take some trial and error before finding an approach that truly works for everyone!
