Starting out clinical postings the first time was very exciting- the first time we all realize what we’ve came for…
But it can also turn out to be very dificult if you are not prepared, because life catches up and you’ll be wondering where time went at least 5 times a day.
Therefore I’ve put together these things that every medical student must know before the start of a new semester so that you won’t get lost in any posting.
Read along!
What medical students must know before the start of any new MBBS semester
1. The schedule
First thing before every semester- ask for the schedule.
They might provide it to you, but it could remain overlooked forever because of your tight schedule.
So go through the schedule thoroughly.
You might want to remember these:
• start and end dates of the semester
• individual postings and their duration
• time of each postings (eg. we had our ER postings from 5-8 every night)
• exams (if any)
2. Syllabus
Now that you know all the subjects for this semester, go through the syllabus.
Find which topics are going to be taken in classes, the creditworks or seminars to be taken and other things you have to do (like field work).
This may vary from college to college, but you get the idea.
And if you can, make a list of all the focus areas of the subject before the first day, so you can read accordingly.
3. Classroom/ department locations
I’ve shown up late to at least half of my postings on the first days itself because I didn’t know where it was.
Know the locations where you are needed to be present beforehand, or tryto go with a group.
Get a map of your campus at the beginning of the year itself and have an idea of the cassrooms and departments.
4. What you are required to do
Ask you seniors or faculty what you should be doing during the postings.
Like, we have to take detailed medical history in certain postings, write a lot of records in some others, so, its good to know what to do.
5. Things you must bring
Now this is very important.
Make sure you have the appropriate things ready for each posting.
For instance, you definitely need a knee hammer for Orthopedic posting, and you can’t forget the pen torch for Ophthalmology.
And a stethoscope is needed almost everywhere.
So buy or borrow things that you don’t have before every posting.
6. Textbooks that you should follow
This might change according to the faculty or college or University that you are under.
But you must have an idea of the books to read for postings.
Its okay even if you don’t own the required book- use the library.
(But by the final year it’s extremely helpful to buy yourself the textbooks of all subjects)
Here are the must-know things in a list:
- Schedule
- Syllabus
- Locations
- Work to do
- Equipments to bring
- Textbooks to follow
That’s all guys… make sure you are prepared for every clinical posting because they are very important.
These are the times when you’ll be developing some serious clinical skills, so make the most out of it.
And let your friends know these tips by sharing this post!