6 Unexpected Medical School Lessons

You’re in medical school to learn to become the best physician possible, right? Of course. You’re not spending all those long hours of studying—chemistry, biology, physics, gross anatomy—followed by intensive rotations, which lead inevitably to your post-graduate medical residency for nothing. Even though it doesn’t seem possible to cram much more in your brain in four jam-packed years, you’re learning a whole lot more than medicine. You’re learning what it means to be human.

Let’s take a look at six of the most interesting—and most unexpected—lessons you’ll glean from your medical school years.

1. Residents are people.

While it’s not rocket science, sometimes it takes a minute to understand what this means.

When you work with them and when you are one, understand this: residents are tired, overworked, and overwhelmed. Why? Patient care is the number one priority.

Always thank a resident for taking time to work with you. While patients are their priority, your education is important, too—especially if what you learn from them improves patient care.

2. You’re probably not the smartest person in the room.

To get this far, you’ve probably been the smartest person in the room for most (or all) of your academic life. No longer. Why? You’re surrounded by others who have also been the smartest in the room—and you’re taught by others who are leaps and bounds ahead of you.

What does this mean? You have to work even harder than you did to get here. Not to be the smartest in the room—but to learn to treat patients to the best of your ability. Your intelligence—while critically important—take back burner to your ability to treat patients. Don’t worry; the two are related. You have to be pretty darn smart to learn how to treat the easiest—and toughest—patients.

3. Snacks are necessary.

It’s part of self-care. If someone calls you out on it or tells you that you look a little peaked, you’re not doing a great job taking care of yourself (see #5). Throw a snack in your lab coat and a few extra in your backpack. Make sure you stay alert—and aware of your own physical needs.

4. Small talk is critical to your success.

Face it: you need to be able to talk to strangers about intimate health problems. You must be able to put people at ease so that they feel comfortable talking to you—and so that they trust you.

How do you do this? Practice. Strike up a conversation with someone next to you on the bus. Say hello to someone at the grocery store. Talk about the weather with a person next to you in lecture hall.

Why? At some point in medicine, small talk becomes big. You need to develop rapport with people—and one of the best ways in is small talk. Get out there and practice.

5. You need to take care of yourself to be a great doctor.

When other people are depending on you to care for them, you need to be your best self. Get as much sleep as possible and eat as best you can. Throw that snack in your lab coat for good measure (see #3).

The key? Find something you love to do—and when you’re not studying, reading, writing, or on a rotation, do it. Play that game of ultimate Frisbee. Try a book club if you’ve always wanted to. Join that restaurant club and sample the newest eats in town. Enjoy yourself—your patients will thank you.

6. You need to be humble and confident.

It’s a tough combo, but also a winning one. Feel good about your decisions—and be willing to admit that you’re wrong. The key to that admission? Make it—and move on. Don't make the same mistake twice and do your best.

That’s all anyone ever asks.

Learn more about going to medical school.