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Whats it really like as a medical student?

as the title says really, what are the hours like at uni, how much free time do you get, how is the time split up into lectures etc...

thanks

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Reply 1

choccandy21

i want to know this too :smile:

anyone?

I get 8-10 hours lectures a week and 6 hours practical. The lectures are pretty much always spread out over monday - friday. In my first year the workload has not been that hard, there's just a large volume of it. The exam period is quite stressful, they always put our exams at the start of the exam schedule and our ospes are always the day after . However, I've had loads of free time this year, but noticeably less than some of my other friends studying different subjects.

Reply 4

Woody.

There are threads with almost the exact title of this that have been made in the past, many of them, have a look around using the search.

Reply 5

brunov

I study medicine in Brazil, at Maceio.
Here de medicine course is very hard, and very workful. But I love this course.
I am just in the first year, but I had already visited any comunits and have seen many medical procediments..
I study about 2 hours a day. It's a little quantity because I have the morning and the afternoon full of classes in the university.

Reply 6

graemematt

As a first year I had about 30 hours/week lectures depending on the week. Second year it went up to 38 hours/week. Now on clinicals, it really varies as the placement you're on really determines the number of hours you work. I was on surgery doing in excess of 40+ hours/week however now on psychiatry I'll be tired after doing 15 hours a week, haha!

I'm at Warwick btw, which is a graduate entry medical school, so really it's not that representative of an undergrad course. Just thought I'd share :smile:

Reply 7

krisblade

graemematt

As a first year I had about 30 hours/week lectures depending on the week.

If I have more than two hours a day, I feel overworked :p:

Reply 8

greatmonte

and how much private study time do you guys need

Reply 9

BeanofJelly

You might need to ask about specific medical schools to get a useful answer, as they vary a lot in the preclinical years.

For example, some have more EXAMS than others... :banghead:

My timetable varies week on week.

I have 3 days basic science modules (ie: Monday - Muscles, Joints, Movements) - which is the bulk of the learning. About 3 hours lectures, 1 or 2 hours small group (eg: anatomy) on each of those days although it varies a lot, and varies between modules.
Wednesday is a half day on social sciences, usually 3 hours of lectures. Thursday is either GP practice day or IP day (kinda like PBL) fortnightly.

Sometimes you feel overwhelmed, sometimes you don't. There is enough time to do other things and have a life, though this is the first year, they say you should enjoy it while you can. There is more work than you've probably ever had before and less time to learn it, but you do get used to it.

Exams are terrible (or it's just me). That's if you are a Birmingham first year though.

Average med school drop out is about 6% after the first semester (voluntarily), so some people must find it very hard, or they realise it isn't what they want to do. But don't be too alarmed by that statistic

Reply 10

LocAnOilean

Just finished 1st year. Had around 4 hours of lectures each week per module... i.e 4 hours Anatomy, 4 hours Physiology, 4 Hours Biochemitry. Then I a few more hours of lectures for other various topics. No more than 15 though.
Next is practicals. 3 Hours per module above, every week. Then there are Problem-Based Learning tutorials in most Med schools now, which can be anywhere from 4-16 hours per week depending where you are! I only had 4 though, one of the lucky ones!
Then after this you might have specific assignments to do which require various classes/tutorials, but they're generally only for a short period of time.

In all - i'm gonna say expect around 25-30 hours a week wherever you go. Some hours very improtant - i.e practicals and labs, some not so much - i.e 9am on monday :wink:

Either way expect to be doing more than all your friends on other courses!

Reply 11

Kilabu

In first year it really isnt that much ..... but by second year onwards be prepared to live on an ever decreasing amount of sleep and food. Coffee will become one of your 5 a day :smile:

Subscribes

Despite how many threads there are on this EXACT topic, I really like reading new comments :biggrin:

Reply 14

Presidential

streamline

Despite how many threads there are on this EXACT topic, I really like reading new comments :biggrin:

me too lol

Reply 15

Single Malt

What happened to the 'week in a medics life' thread? I would be interested in seeing its ressurection.

Reply 16

xylophonefairy

In first year you have lectures and group works in the mornings, usually 9-1, then free afternoons in which we're meant to do our own private study. Of course the afternoons often end up being mostly drinking tea/watching House or whatever, especially as I tend to work in the evenings. But I'd say we get a fair amount of free time, though it depends on how much or a workaholic you are, I know people who do loooads.

Second year is the same, only reversed. So they're in from 1-5 or something.

Each day of the week is a different module. So this term we have membranes and receptors on a monday, musculoskeletal system on a tuesday, cardiovascular on a wednesday, etc. I usually try and consolidate what I've learnt that day in the afternoons, then in the evenings do whatever it is I'm stuck on / pull my notes together etc.

But it's all good, I'm having tons of fun, have made lots of friends etc. Medicine's really not all that hard, there's just a helluva lot of it. A level chemistry was WAY harder conceptually (but then I did Nuffield...)

Reply 17

magichearts

For Sheffield first year: We are averaging about 10-15 hours of lectures and 1.5-2.5 hour of practical per week (dissection and/or ILA group work). Sometimes we have slack weeks where we would have like < 10 hours of lectures. It really depends. Every week is different. I have quite a bit of free time as my lectures are usually 9-11 sometimes 9-1, so that means I have the rest of the day to myself. In the beginning of the year I spent quite a bit of time doing recommended reading...but as the year progressed I dropped my recommended reading as I feel like I'm not absorbing very much. I have enough time to play sports, watch tv, and hang with friends. First term I went out 1-2xs every 1-2 weeks. I have friends who go out like wayyy more but I don't like going out THAT much. As we go to 2nd/3rd term going out literally was more like once a month as the workload started to increase. But it wasn't so much work I didn't have free time...I still had time to chill with friends and play sports. Now I'm in my 2nd last week of classes before exams and I am loaded with work. Have been studying since Easter break so at the moment I have no free time.

It really depends on you. Do you find yourself the type who needs to do more work than others to keep up or can you get away with doing just enough work to get the sort of marks you want? I have friends who have to do a lot more work than others in order to understand stuff so they claim they have very little free time. I find that I just need to do what is asked for us to do and I'm fine so I have a lot of free time. Some people literally do work for the entire year and regret during exam time so it is also all about balance.

Like xylophonefairy said, medicine isn't really that hard. There's a lot of stuff to know and sometimes you feel overwhelmed. Heck we're studying cancer right now and I feel like I got hit in the face with too much info! Some stuff you get, some stuff you won't. That's medicine. If I think back and look at the entire year - I actually had a lot of fun. :yep:

Reply 18

Phalanges

I spend 25 hours a day studying, 8 days a week.

But that might be because I'm having to take up remedial maths as well, for some reason.

Reply 19

fairy spangles

Clinical year med student timetable - average of 9-5 everyday apart from wed which is 9-1. i have some loooooooooong days coming up soon. 8.30 - 8/9. I hope its enjoyable.