Getting to know the Acronyms

As a medical student you are going to quickly find out how many acronyms are used both inside and outside the classroom.  There are acronyms for the classes (MSK), the Clubs (SOMA), the Exams (COMLEX), and more!   To help you become more familiar with all of the abbreviations, we've put together this list of acronyms used at RVU and other Osteopathic schools:

Managing your Time

One of the biggest challenges we've seen with students who are struggling in medical school is how they manage their time.   Many students believe that the same time management skills that they used in their undergraduate education will work in medical school.   This may or may not be true.  To handle the volume of information that you will be memorizing, you have to be more precise with how you use your time than at any other time in your life.  While there is no one "perfect" schedule and it will depend on your personal preferences (are you a morning person or night owl), you should treat medical school like a 50-60 hour per week job ... 8 to 5 (8 hours), plus another 2-3 hours in the evening to study.   Once you subtract 7-8 hours for sleep, you still have 6 hours for personal stuff ... eating, working out, family time.   The key will be the discipline to follow a strict schedule, and the wisdom to know when you need to adjust.  As you compare notes with your classmates and the 2nd year students, you will find the schedule that works best for you.

Getting ready for Musculoskeletal Course (MSK)

For the class of 2022, your first experience with medical school will be with the Musculoskeletal (MSK).  This class will be one of the most challenging within the first year curriculum.  While there's only so much you can do with little more than 4 weeks before the semester begins, here are a few links which may be helpful to begin familiarizing yourself the human body.  Otherwise, enjoy your last few weeks of freedom!

• https://www.getbodysmart.com/
• http://www.innerbody.com/htm/body.html
• https://www.zygotebody.com/
• http://www.dr-asims-anatomy-cafe.com/anatomy-links/
• https://medlineplus.gov/anatomy.html
• http://www.anatomyatlases.org/

5 Tips Every Medical Student Needs to Know

YouTube Channel called "Med School Insiders" shares interesting videos, including this one:

10 Habits of Highly Successful RVU Students

1. Maintain a “big picture” perspective. They are mindful of the importance of what they’re learning and understand that the pay-off for their sacrifice and hard work will be the ability to accurately diagnose and treat their future patients. 
2. Have a “deep” approach to learning that guides how they study. They are intrinsically motivated to learn as much as possible. They avoid rote methods that are based purely on repetition and rehearsal, and instead strive to develop an organizational framework for new knowledge that focuses on ways to integrate what they’re learning with what they already know.  
3. Avoid “cramming” for exams. They keep up with the material and have a regular study routine. Many successful students plan to not study the day or evening before the exam. They put their books away early because they know they are prepared. One routine that has been proven successful with students is adapting to a power study hour. 
4. Self-regulate effectively. They set goals, plan, monitor their own progress, seek feedback from multiple sources, and make adjustments as necessary. They are generally self-aware and have well developed metacognitive skills. They know what they know and they know what they don’t know. 
5. Manage their life well. They are organized and time efficient without sacrificing effectiveness. They understand the difference between important and urgent and are good at prioritizing. They know what needs to be done and they do it. 
6. Maintain balance in their lives. They understand that by prioritizing well they will still have time to do the things that are important to them and the things they love to do, including hobbies, socializing, maintaining relationships, spiritual enrichment, volunteering, participating in school and community, etc. They also know that sleeping, eating a healthful diet, and exercising are not luxuries, but rather important activities for maintaining emotional, cognitive, and physical wellbeing.  
7. Continually strive for self-improvement. They seek feedback from external sources on their performance, take advantage of opportunities, and aren’t afraid to step out of their comfort zone to learn a new skill. 
8. Delay gratification. They know that the reward comes after the hard work. 
9. Practice what they want or need to learn. They know that deliberate practice is required to learn anything well. 
10. Have a positive outlook. They are resilient and see mistakes as a growth opportunity, not the end of the world. 

Source:  com.msu.edu/students/academic_guidance