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If you are an aspiring physician and want to pursue a career in the field of medicine, then it is important to prepare yourself for a challenging medical school journey. In order to become a competent medical school student, it is important to upgrade your study skills so that you can improve your academic performance and score impressive marks in USMLE.
All premedical students are highly recommended to follow some of the best study methods to become a good student. You should keep in mind that you have to take pre-medical subjects, such as biology, physics, chemistry, and math, to fulfill the medical school admission requirements. You have to invest your time and efforts in creating a stellar medical school application and improve your chances of getting into a top Caribbean medical school by taking part in extracurricular activities and internship opportunities.
In this blog, I’ll discuss how premed students can prepare themselves to survive their medical school journey and how they can upgrade their study skills to score a good GPA and USMLE scores.
Be Prepared
Being a medical school hopeful, you should have an in-depth understanding of important courses such as biology, physics, chemistry, math, and English. When you have a solid foundation in these subjects, it will make it easier to perform well in your medical school classes.
To become a competent medical student, you have to gain some hands-on experience in different medical fields. Research opportunities, shadowing a physician, volunteering in medical centers are a few common extracurricular activities that pre-medical students can take part in to hone their clinical skills.
Plan Earlier
Keep in mind that getting into a top medical school is a challenging task. Pre medical courses for students look for smart and intelligent students that are multi talented and committed to their passion for becoming a doctor. Medical school admission committees prefer those candidates who have worked in a clinical setting and complete some research projects.
Volunteering in a medical environment along with your college studies may seem impossible at first, but with proper planning, you can do this impossible task doable. All you need to do is to plan earlier. Think carefully and determine which type of activities you can perform after college classes to gain some hands-on experience. Your premedical advisor can better guide you on how to plan efficiently and manage your extracurricular activities and studies side by side.
Prepare for the MCAT in Advance
I’m sure you are aware of the importance of MCAT, as it is one of the most important prerequisites to get into a medical school. If you are studying biochemistry, psychology, chemistry, and physics during your college years, it will make it easier to perform well on the MCAT. Prospective medical school students are advised to set aside time to review MCAT prep materials or take MCAT prep classes to improve your concepts.
You can also take an online quiz and download MCAT prep apps to get an idea of how to perform well during the real test. Early planning and MCAT preparation can ensure you will get good grades that will eventually strengthen your medical school application.
Enroll in Science Courses
Many prospective medical students are interested in science courses to get a solid grasp of important concepts that will be taught in the preclinical years of medical school. It is a great idea to enroll in science courses to develop a clear understanding of the important topics but 3`overloading your study schedule can badly affect your academic performance. Therefore, it is advised to take two or three science courses per semester to avoid study overload.
Find Research Opportunities
Adding some research experience to your medical school application is a great idea to become a successful candidate. It will show the medical school admissions committees that you are passionate about your medical profession and interested in making some advancement in the field of medicine. Finding some research opportunities during your premedical years can prepare you for doing lab work and clinical rotations during your clinical years. Ask your professors and premed advisors if they know about any college, university, medical center, or institute that offers research positions for undergraduates.
Find Volunteering Opportunities
Before you get into a medical school, try to gain some volunteering experience, and exposé yourself to the socioeconomic and healthcare challenges. Volunteer work is one of the best premedical extracurricular activities that can cultivate your clinical, communication, leadership, and time management skills. You can find volunteering opportunities in rehabilitation centers, medical centers, and clinical institutes. Besides doing clinical volunteering, you can also find volunteer opportunities in some non-hospital settings or work in underprivileged areas to show your commitment to improving people’s lives. Your enthusiasm to help others will definitely make your medical school application stand out from the rest.
Physician Shadowing
Shadowing a physician can help you get an idea of how to perform your duties as a doctor and what challenges you might face while working in a clinical setting. Fortunately, many doctors welcome premed students to work in their clinics and give them an opportunity to observe how they treat their patients. You can contact your family physician or send emails to different hospitals, medical centers, and individual doctors to find some physician shadowing opportunities.
Wrapping It Up
Medical schools want candidates to prepare for the challenging education and have realistic expectations for what a medical career will be like. Medical students must be dedicated, motivated, compassionate, and hardworking. Undergraduates who want to go to medical school are advised to follow these simple strategies to get solid MCAT scores, participate in extracurricular activities, and get some real medical experience of how to treat patients.
