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A Typical Day in Medical School

Disclaimer: I have not yet begun my clinical rotations so this is just one student’s brief summary on a typical medical school day in the preclinical years.

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7:00 AM - My alarm clock rings. I quickly turn it off. 5 minutes later my second alarm which I always have as back up goes off. Going to class is too important to be left to chances; having two alarms is much safer. I brush my teeth, eat breakfast and pack all my notes, textbooks and laptops, which have been sprawled over my desk from yesterday’s late-night studying, into my trusty backpack.

7:45 AM - I make the quick walk to school. Living on campus is a luxury, the time you save from commuting is worth the higher prices you pay on rent. If you don’t live at home and have the option of choosing a place, live by the university. You won’t regret it.

8:00 AM - The first lecture of the day is beginning and the classroom is only 70% full. Stragglers and latecomers slowly file into the lecture theater, while the rest of us are just waking up. The smell of coffee and breakfast snacks fill the room. Thank God for caffeine.

8:30 AM - It’s halfway through the lecture and at this crucial point, depending on how good or bad the lectures has been going, I will either increase my concentration and focus for the remaining slides left or… begin checking my email.

8:45 AM - The daily newsfeeds and listserv messages begin flooding my inbox: faculty emails, student group event announcements and people looking for rent or pawning their old textbooks. If I’m lucky, there might be some personal emails from friends and family.

9:00 AM - Break time. Get up, stretch, go to the washroom. Only a few more minutes before the next lecture begins.

10:00 AM - Students in scrubs fill the hallway to the anatomy lab. The smell of formaldehyde is one that you don’t forget easily. Time always passes by quickly in the lab as we dissect our cadavers. Our group rotates responsibilities of cutting, reading the dissector and referencing our anatomy atlas. Tip: learn to use all your tools, not just the scalpel. The blunt scissors, probe and your fingers are often times better than the blade when it comes to dissecting.

12:00 PM - The combination of anatomy lab chemically induced hunger and classes all morning really work up your appetite. If there’s a lunch-time talk with free food I try to attend. If not, the lunch hour is a great time to hang out with friends, make necessary phone calls (banks, utilities, etc) and catch up on some studying.

1:00 PM - On alternating days, we either have small group learning or clinical skills teaching. If it is a small group session, ten or so medical students along with a preceptor begin discussing the case prepared for that week. After each session, we set out our learning objectives created for next time’s discussion.

3:00 PM - If it is a clinical teaching day, my group follows a preceptor to see patients. We practice our history taking and physical examination skills, while learning about different medical conditions. Clinical teaching is definitely an enjoyable time for me. It’s just a small taste of what is to come.

5:00 PM - My day at school officially ends, but the real work is about to begin.

5:30 PM - I usually head to the gym for a quick workout or relax a bit. Balance is key to a healthy lifestyle in medical school.

6:00 PM - Study. Study. Study

7:00 PM - Cook dinner. Whatever is most convenient is usually eaten first. Groceries are usually only done on weekends when there is time. Often, eating dinner is either in the company of friends or school notes. I also like to cook my meals in bigger portions and pack the leftovers for lunch.

8:00PM - 10:00PM - Study. Study some more. There’s an awful lot of stuff to learn in medicine.

10:00 PM - Dedicated instant messaging / facebook / answering email time. Showers are nice too.

11:00 PM - An hour is lost from being unproductive and/or procrastinating.

12:00 PM - I usually get solid studying done at these wee hours. My circadian rhythm just happens to coincide with the midnight hour to be a productive one. I like to study and work until I feel tired and head to bed. But lately, I’ve been trying to keep a more regular routine. I often feel like sleep is a nice bonus for people in medicine, it’s nice to have but isn’t always required or permitted.

Summary

The day I have described to you is probably one of the busier days of the week. There are probably 2-3 of those days and another 2 more relaxed days with less class and responsibilities. Apart from class time and basic necessities, a lot of time is spent studying or doing other school related work. For the most part, medicine is not a 9-5 job, especially as a student when there is so much to learn. I feel like I could study 12 hours a day for several months (I wish I could) and still have lots to learn. I guess that is why the time it takes to train a doctor is so long (6-10 years).

If you have any questions about what a typical day for a medical student is like or want to contribute your experiences too, please leave a comment. Thanks!

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16 Comments

  1. Pre Med Journey
    Pre Med Journey January 23, 2024

    Looks busy, but survivable. Thanks for the rundown, it’s nice to know what I have to look forward to next year.

    • medaholic
      medaholic January 23, 2024

      It’s definitely doable and once the studying and school work is finished too, it’s quite fun!

  2. T F
    T F January 25, 2024

    I started checking this site at 8:40 am, right around the halfway point of the first lecture.

    Crazy how dead on this schedule is….

  3. dj
    dj January 27, 2024

    Out of curiosity, what does a ‘typical’ weekend look like?

    • medaholic
      medaholic February 3, 2024

      For me it consists of catching up with the rest of my life and keeping things in order at home (groceries, laundry, cleaning). I usually go out Friday night with friends and maybe Saturday night too for dinner. I pursue some hobbies on the side and I usually take Sunday to study and catch up/prepare for the week.

  4. AL
    AL May 19, 2023

    Hey, im currently a highschool student. I get good grades but my study habits arn’t the best. You sound pretty organised and like if you have everything figured out. Were you this way in high school as well or did you eventually become more disciplined?

    • medaholic
      medaholic May 23, 2023

      I became more disciplined by the end of high school. Sometime, you have to a fail a bit before you realize what works. Don’t give up, if you are determined to make a change, it will happen!

  5. Brea
    Brea October 14, 2023

    I was just wondering is it possible to balance a part time job while going to med school?

    • medaholic
      medaholic October 22, 2023

      It’s possible, but I would advise against it. You won’t be making much money in your part-time job, unless you came from a previous career (ie. pharmacy, etc). I had a few pharmacist classmates that worked part time during school, granted they were earning close to $100 an hour. If you’re not going to make that much, or get that much from your job (waitress, bartending, mcdonald’s). go spend your time studying and relaxing. you’ll earn more than enough later

  6. Sarah
    Sarah May 6, 2023

    After the first semester of M1 it gets a lot better…its really not that bad

  7. Nicolle
    Nicolle October 21, 2023

    This sounds like my schedule but I’m only in 3rd year Undergrad (Anatomy..) and sometimes i stay till 2am. Besides studying, i have a lot of other family responsibilities and stuffs.. That’s why I’m not sure if Med school is right for me..

  8. ayah
    ayah November 23, 2023

    very nice , i love it
    i have a problem organizing my time and that lead my to repeat the whole year , i feel depressed n hopeless knowing that i’m not a careless person , i’m just a lost one
    you seem like a very organized person can you help me plzzzzzzz

  9. mahtab
    mahtab October 17, 2023

    very good

  10. Monic Himen June 9, 2023

    Sounds very interesting !!! and seems so busy !!! And frustrated !!!

  11. zaki August 8, 2023

    really i saw your day an d for me i m going to start medicine next month and i was wondering how i will be busy after i checked he time table of the current medical students in the university i saw all the week is full for the first and second year students. look a classes from 8:00AM to 5:00pm and also some days evening classes, ah!ah! what a triple i will have, anyhow how can i overcome such this crazy time table?

    REGARDS

  12. JANE
    JANE June 22, 2023

    HI , IM A FIRST YEAR PREMED STUDENT .Actually , i enjoy earning new things and focsing in classes to information . But sometimes i feel not able to continue either i am bored of studying and not getting the courage to stud to much as i used to in high school or either feeling uncapable to get high grades in mcat . how can i enjoy more studying premed anf feel safe?? please help me

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