Advice

Clerkships are one of the most challenging yet rewarding parts of medical school. It’s a time where the most growth happens, but like with any major life changes, it comes with some growing pains.

When it comes to preparing for the actual clerkship, advice for success will really vary per clerkship, so the best advice is to ask your Big for their tips, or to connect you with someone who has been through that rotation. As clerkships move along, you can also start asking your classmates for advice. Each rotation will have its specific challenges and tips for success, and I really relied on talking to someone who has been through the rotation for key information.

Generally, though, it’s important to be prepared. Read up on patients and make sticky notes in Epic so you can see them efficiently in clinic. Read up on conditions that are highest yield for your rotation, and set expectations with teams on the first day. When you have at least some background knowledge and are able to stay engaged, it makes the learning stick so much better and makes everything so much more interesting.

Self-care during this year is critical to prioritize. Build routines that work for you — whether that be meal prepping, grocery shopping on certain days, setting a day aside for chores, or building in time dedicated to your hobbies or exercise. Also, build time for relaxing and turning off your brain! Something that keeps me motivated throughout each clerkship is scheduling activities with friends to have something to look forward to, especially during the weekends. Some of my friends and I always have a paint night during each clerkship, and it has been one of the things I look forward to the most. Clerkships can feel extremely time consuming, particularly with all the studying, but being able to connect with your people can help you stay grounded and de-stress. Don’t be afraid to take a day — or more — off if you need it.

Also, a quick plug for mental health services that WashU Med’s Student Health offers at really reasonable co-pay rates ($10 per session). It can be extremely helpful to have someone to talk to through the ups and downs of clerkship year, and I know many students have really benefited from seeing a therapist regularly. You can find more information at studenthealth.med.wustl.edu/students/mental-health-information/.

Remember, you will learn SO much during clerkships, but the reality is that it can be super tough to juggle it all. Be kind to yourself if you can’t follow the rigid study schedule you had set for yourself at the start, or when you incorrectly answer a question your attending asks. It is all a part of the process! At times you may feel incompetent or like a deer in headlights on a new rotation, but the whole point of this year is to learn things you have never experienced before. You are not expected to know it all. At the end of the day, you are finally doing what you came to medical school to do — to take care of patients. Don’t forget that! Build relationships and go the extra mile for your patients. Often times, medical students can make the biggest difference, and it is truly a rewarding experience to finally be able to make a real difference in patients’ lives.

I’ve always found it grounding to have close relationships with people who are not in medicine. As a former pre-med and current medical student, I’ve realized that it’s so easy in spaces with our peers to get caught up in the realm of grades, exams, publications, etc. and lose the bigger picture. However, my time spent with my non-medical friends always serves as a nice reality check that there’s life outside of medicine and helps remind me of my priorities. It also helps me support a better school-life balance because whenever I’m with them, I get to show up as my whole self and not just as a medical student. Maintaining long-distance relationships with friends and family can be difficult but is worth prioritizing. A little communication is better than none, so I often find myself sending random texts, memes, songs, etc. as I think of loved ones. I also utilize my walk home from school and mealtimes at home for catch-up FaceTimes and phone calls, especially with my parents. Phone calls with my mother always remind me that school isn’t everything and that self-care is a top priority. Overall, fostering relationships with those outside of medicine helps keep me balanced, on both a personal level and as a medical student.

In my short time here so far at WashU Med, I’ve realized three things: there’s always another research project to work on, another specialty to shadow, and another specialty interest group to get involved in. And while you’ll want to get involved in these opportunities, you may also feel the pressure to do it all within the context of being a medical student. You’ll be faced with a lot of material to digest, and not a lot of time to do so; this will only become truer over time.

All this means is that it may be tempting to let your health and hobbies take a backseat, especially if you see some classmates doing “so much more than you.” However, remember that the things that keep you well will also keep you successful in class. Module 1 is a great time to learn how and when to say “I’m done for today.” Sometimes that means leaving a lecture video for tomorrow because it’s already 12 a.m., or skipping optional morning sessions in favor of a run in Forest Park. Other times, it may even involve taking an entire day off because you feel particularly worn out. (I speak from experience in all three cases.) Phase One grading is truly pass/fail, and students aren’t ranked, so use this opportunity to lay the foundation for both your academic and personal success through a healthy school-life balance, whatever that looks like for you.

Learn to get comfortable with saying “No” when you’ve already got a lot going on. Your health is worth more than an extra line on your CV.

Most of you reading this will probably ignore my advice, and that’s okay. BUT, and I cannot stress this enough, take it one day at a time. Medical school is a lot, and the amount of information you receive can be overwhelming. However, as you learn and realize just how much you’re learning, the whole experience becomes really rewarding. In medical school, you’re also surrounded by people with so many shared formative experiences and interests, which makes your time so much more enjoyable. Because of this, there’s always more to learn and to do. But if you earnestly engage with all of it, you’ll look up after a while and wonder where the days, weeks, and months went. So save time in the day to relax, engage with your hobbies, catch up with family and friends, and reflect. You may not realize it now, but the time will truly fly by.

I’m doing a dual MD/MPH degree at WashU. This means that I finished three years at WashU Med, hopped over to the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis this year for an accelerated one-year MPH, and then will complete my last year of medical school next year. I’ve really enjoyed diving deeply into public health and using a different side of my brain this year. There are so many different options for taking an extra year at or outside of WashU Med in all interests, from research to entrepreneurship to health equity. WashU Med also gives you plenty of flexibility and support along the way. My advice would be to keep an open mind and to talk to older students and faculty mentors if you are interested in taking an extra year!

Every incoming WashU Med student is paired up with a Big Sib in the class above them based on their hobbies, backgrounds, and/or medical interests, and it’s a channel to direct any questions you may have about St. Louis, medical school, or life in general. And while Big-Little relationships vary quite a bit, I personally view both my Big and my Little simply as close friends. Don’t get me wrong — it’s been super helpful to be able to ask my Big Sib about topics like study tips, recommendations for the best scrubs, or the clerkship experience. However, my favorite thing to do with her has just been getting “girl brunch” and talking about life. Meanwhile, my Little and I are exceptionally similar and have a shared interest in good food, so we spend time cooking together and exploring the restaurants in St. Louis. Personally, I try to hang out with each of them at least once a month and find it to be a great way to get out of the bubble that is my own medical school class. The Big Sib system provides a way for classes to mingle among each other, and I’ve met so many of my friends in the year above by going to events with my Big.

Phase Three begins after you complete your clinical clerkships. During this time, you’re expected to write two of your board exams (Step 1 and Step 2), complete two mandatory Keystone integrated science courses (KISCs) and two advanced clinical rotations (ACRs — one in your selected specialty and one in medicine), prepare your residency applications and interview for residency spots, and complete a Capstone course aimed at preparing you to be a rockstar during your intern year. It can feel overwhelming at the start, but there are resources available at WashU Med to ease your experience.

Your coach, specialty advisor, mentors from your chosen field, Dean Kathy Diemer and Angie MacBryde from Career Counseling, and Phase Three/Year Four medical students applying to your chosen specialty will be your trusted guides to ensure your Phase Three experience goes smoothly. Therefore, my first tip for maximizing Phase Three involves engaging and staying connected with all the aforementioned individuals from the end of Phase Two until Match Day. They can advise you on how best to schedule your rotations (including away rotations) and board exams to ensure that you obtain everything you need to prepare for residency applications, which open in early September. They can read your personal statement, which you should start writing as early as possible in Phase Three, and help proofread your residency application.

Making the most of your sub-internships and elective rotations is also equally essential for refining your clinical skills and clarifying your career goals. These rotations aren’t just about showcasing your medical knowledge. It is also about improving clinical skills and demonstrating teamwork, communication, and adaptability, providing you with meaningful experiences to discuss in your personal statement and during your interviews. It is also the best time to gather stellar and outstanding recommendation letters from faculty. After submitting a great application with all the necessary materials, utilize available resources — mentorship, mock interviews, and workshops — to fine-tune your interview skills. Approach each interview as an opportunity to showcase your capabilities and assess the program’s fit with your aspirations. Additionally, as interview season can be stressful, it may be best to schedule vacation blocks or non-hectic rotations to ensure that you have time outside of interviews and rotations to relax and take care of yourself. Finally, celebrate all the little successes (every interview matters) and hope in the fact that all your hard work, dedication, and perseverance will eventually pay off when you match and become the amazing physician you have been working so hard toward becoming.