According to U.S. News and World Report, the most competitive med school in the United States is Kaiser Permanente in Pasadena, CA. This super-selective school accepts just 1.1% of all applicants.
The average acceptance rate for medical schools across the country is higher, but it's still not great—only 36% of those who apply are accepted. It makes sense that even getting into medical school is so… well, so cutthroat, if you'll pardon the pun. After all, we literally trust doctors with our lives and those of our children. It's not easy to become a physician, and that's a good thing.
If you're already in medical school, congratulations! Unfortunately, the competitive environment only gets more so once you do matriculate. Naturally, this induces a great deal of stress in med students. Here are 5 ways to cope that are crucial to your success.
Taking good physical care of yourself is essential, now more than ever. Exercise is also an incredibly beneficial way to regulate your emotions. Find the time to move your body—even 15 minutes will help. Get out from under the fluorescent lights of classrooms and clinics, and take a brisk walk at least once a day. It'll help clear your head and regroup, so you can get back to your studies feeling refreshed.
When you are busy and under pressure, it becomes extremely difficult to eat a wholesome, nutritious diet. Vending machine snacks, carb-heavy cafeteria offerings, and deep-fried bar munchies while you decompress with a beer after a long day—all hard to resist, even for those of us who aren't in med school!
Look for grab-and-go options that give you energy without delivering too much sugar or fat, like dried fruit, nuts, smoothies, green juice, and hard-boiled eggs. Try to choose your food mindfully, too—stop and think about what you're going to eat, instead of settling for whatever's easiest or quickest.
Of course you have to study hard in medical school; that's a no-brainer (if you'll pardon another pun!). But keep your life balanced with other interests. Engaging in a hobby, regular meetups with friends, or spending time in nature can help you stay one step ahead of your stress.
Bottling up how you feel about the pressure you're under simply isn't healthy. It can backfire, too, in the form of illness or an unwise outburst. Seeing a professional therapist or counselor is best, but you can also lean on friends, family members, or folks from your church. And while commiserating with classmates might feel gratifying, be careful not to project a grouchy or pessimistic image that could feed into a negative reputation.
Perseverance is necessary in med school, as in life, but when you hit roadblock after roadblock, sometimes it's better to try a different approach than to stick stubbornly to an impossible plan. If you don't get awarded the prestigious internship you want, keep looking at others; they might take you in a surprisingly rewarding direction. The same goes for your residency.
What happens when, succumbing to the academic pressure, you make the mistake of cheating? You might be facing suspension or even dismissal from your school, but there's an alternative here too. Instead of giving up and changing your career path, look into remediation.
Speak with education attorney Joseph D. Lento, who can help you get back on track to being a doctor. Whether you are struggling to keep your grades up or you've made a bad choice and committed some type of misconduct, it is possible to recover! In these sticky situations, remediation might be just what the doctor ordered.
Call the Lento Law Group's Student Defense Team at