The bones of the hand are fairly crowded and can be difficult to remember. With these 2 easy to remembermnemonics for carpal bones we assure you that you won’t forget them.
Pick which ever suits you. Carpal bones of the hand are common questions asked during vivas in medical school. The hand bones are generally kept articulated for you to identify. Both these mnemonics for carpal bones list the bones from lateral to medial in both the rows (proximal and distal)
Mnemonics for Carpal Bones 1 – She Looks Too Pretty, Try To Catch Her
She – Scaphoid
Looks– Lunate
Too – Triquetral
Pretty – Pisiform
Try – Trapezium
To – Trapezoid
Catch – Capitate
Her – Hammate
Mnemonics for carpal bones. Right click and Save to download.
Mnemonics for Carpal Bones 2 – Some Lovers Try Positions, That They Can’t Handle
If you want to contribute to our Tonic mnemonics for clonic teens series, head to ourcontribute page.
This mnemonic has been contributed by Dr. Rohit Nathani who is an intern at Seth GS Medical College, Mumbai.
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Dr. Janhavi Shah is a Second Year Family Medicine Resident at Jan Swasthya Sahyog (JSS), Ganiyari. In this article, she shares with us why she decided to pursue family medicine that too at an unusual hospital in Chhattisgarh. She talks about family medicine in India, the pros, and cons as well as the scope of family medicine in India.
“Chhattisgarh? Dude, Naxalites live there!!”
“Family Medicine! But you’re so smart! You should do ObGyn!”
“But ghar se itna door why you want to go? Opt for a hospital in Mumbai only na.”
“Repeat na. Agle saal kuch better mil jayega”
2 years ago whilst in my internship, I decided to do Family Medicine. A year ago I decided I wanted to do Family Medicine at JSS. I looked up Chhattisgarh on the map, Aaaah-ed at the location staring at me, and told everyone back home what I wanted to do. Half of my family was thrilled and the other half wasn’t.
Family Medicine isn’t a glamorous urban branch! So I get it when people are apprehensive or have concerns.My father is a general practitioner and without realizing it, I fell in love with general practice before I fell in love with Medicine.
I stumbled upon the existence of JSS whilst skimming through an online blog. Then I stalked the website and then the founders. All these years of stalking crushes and their ex-girlfriends and their bua ke dost ka beta with Avanti and Jo (my friends from undergrad at BJ Medical College, Pune) finally paid off!
The hospital seemed like a happy place for the sick, the founders couldn’t have better credentials. Best of all, the administration was super supportive and non-toxic and all departments helped each other with a common aim of healing the sick.
I’ve been here for over a year now and the consultants, senior residents, and even my co-residents are the nicest people ever. I haven’t come across a more skilled set of nurses. The locals here are simple grounded people.
It feels like a eutopic hospital in a dystopic world.
Family Medicine is a combination of all clinical branches and aims at addressing the most common health care needs of the community.
The doctor ideally knows about the entire family’s health status and refers them to another specialist as and when required. This requirement predominantly (and inversely) depends on the expertise of the physician.
For example, Dr. X has insufficient experience dealing with a migraine and would refer to a neurologist for the same; alternatively, Dr. Y is confident and competent to manage the patient at the primary level.
The advantage is the patient convenience, a reduced burden on the specialists and health care costs (especially in public health systems).
From the rural perspective, where the doctor-patient ratios are abysmal, FamMed is the Batman that Gotham needed. In cities, where specialists are easily available, FamMeds may have to make their space.
The upper hand here is that you are the entire Family’s doctor and you don’t burn a hole in anyone’s pockets.
Given the diversity and vastness of the field, it is extremely important that one chooses a good programme for residency.
Choose a hospital which gives enough exposure in all clinical fields. Avoid hospitals where you’d be fillers used for doing most of the paperwork or as floor RMOs in 7-star hospitals. Not the best place to learn!
3 years of residency is the base for the rest of your life; keep it strong. Small locational sacrifices may go a long way in the future.
Currently, there are no super specialty courses designed for FamMed (a generalist super specializing doesn’t make much sense to me!) There are many fellowships one can pursue as per individual interests.
Lastly, about the scope of family medicine.
It can be as vast or as narrow, as high or as low and as gratifying or as bitter as you want it to be.
One may choose it because they like all clinical subjects and don’t want to commit to only one (which a lot of young doctors feel but they eventually settle for a pure specialty) or, one may choose it because they wanted Internal Med and this seems to be the closest 2nd option.
If it’s the former, yay! I hope it brings you immense joy and gratification too. If it’s the latter, I hope you fall in love with the branch eventually (most people I know, did!)
If you would like to interact with the author, you can do so in the comments section below.
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Here are 3 fun mnemonics for urease positive organisms. Pick the one that suits you the most.
Examples of urease positive organisms include Proteus ( Responsible for causing UTIs and stones) as well as Helicobacter – remember the famous urease breath test ? Given the large number of common diseases caused by Urease positive organisms, it is important the you know them
3 Mnemonics for Urease Positive Organisms
PUNCH KiSS
P – Proteus
U – Ureaplasma
N – Nocardia
C – Cryptococcus
H – Helicobacter
Ki – Klebsiella
S – S. Saprophyticus
S – S. Epidermidis
Mnemonic for Urease Positive organisms. You can right click and save to download this image.
BacK PUNCHeS
Bacteroides
Klebsiella
Proteus
Ureaplasma
Cryptococcus
Helicobacter
Staph. Saprophyticus
CHUNKy PiSS
Cryptococcus
Helicobacter
Ureaplasma
Nocardia
Klebsiella
Proteus
S.Saprophyticus
S.Epidermidis
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Dr. Priyanka Lakshmanan shares with us how she scored 267 on the USMLE Step 1 Exam. Her in depth USMLE Step 1 experience will answer your questions of how to score 265 + on the USMLE Step 1.
I am an IMG from Mumbai and took my Step 1 currently in my 3rd year of med school (2015).
So I went over to a counselling center and enrolled myself for the Kaplan courses (center prep) in the year 2013. I started the lecture series in the year 2014 as I had to wrap up some stuff prior to that.
By Aug 2014 I was pretty sure of wanting to give off the exam in the year 2015. I visited the center almost 2-3 times a week. I would sit for 3-4 hours at a stretch and do the lectures.
By the end of 2014 I was done with most lectures except Behavioral sciences and parts of biochemistry, pathology, physiology.
What I covered from Kaplan courses
1) Behavioral sciences: The whole thing. Found it extremely useful. Dr Daugherty is an amazing professor and clarifies stuff amazingly. Did the lectures for chap 1 and 2 twice.
2) Biochemistry: All chaps once.
3) Pathology: Covered the whole of systemic. Did only neoplasia from the general path section.
4) Pharmacology: Again all lectures. Did the lectures for the volatile stuff like ANS and anti-arrhythmics twice.
5) Microbiology: All lectures once.
6) Physiology: Just CVS, Renal a bit of respiratory physiology, the whole of chap 1 (fluid distribution), nerve and muscle physiology.
7) Anatomy: The whole of anatomy except neuro anatomy. Histology lectures were a waste of time. Did anatomy as my last subject because it is extremely volatile.
Materials other than Kaplan that I used
1) FIRST AID FOR THE USMLE (LATEST EDITION) – Practically the bible for step 1.
2)BRS for physiology : Very concise. Would recommend only if your basics are strong.
3)High yield neuroanatomy: Again extremely concise and volatile. Good for the neuroanatomy stuff tested on step 1. But again your basics have to be strong else you find yourself reading your base book every now and then (happened to me).
4) Dr Najeeb’s lectures: OK! SO this one is MASSIVE!!!! Concepts cleared BEAUTIFULLY!!! The lectures are amazing. Unfortunately, I found out about these extremely late during the course of my preparation. So did a select few chapters of physiology (renal and respiratory), neuroanatomy (a few lectures), ECG.
5) Goljan for pathology: The whole thing once. (every single page) Revise chapters like skin, musculoskeletal. (These are tested very frequently on the exam).
NBME FORM 15, 16, 17. (Have heard that form 13 is a good predictor of your final score. But an average of all your u world and NBMEs is a better estimate rather than one single test).
Study Period
7 months intensive preparation
PHASE 1
I had started doing the Kaplan lectures and taking down notes into the Kaplan books since May 2014. Since I had to manage other academic and extra-academic stuff with it, it went a little slow.
Nevertheless, I managed to complete most of the important subjects (except physiology) by the end of Jan’15 (the year of my step exam).
Annotate as much as you can from the lectures. It is better to be thorough in the beginning rather than incomplete later on. It takes some time but it is worth it in the end. Serves as a good reference book once you start solving the tests and you need to get a few concepts clear.
PHASE 2: January ‘15 – June’15 (First week)
This was a very important period for me as I had to finish up all the Kaplan notes, BRS for physiology, High yield neuroanatomy, Goljan for pathology along with videos of Dr. Najeeb.
I had also started reading first aid some time around the early part of May.
Dr Najeeb’s videos were extremely useful for some chapters of physiology like Respiratory (highly recommend), Renal, Cardiovascular (ECG) and any other system which you are particularly weak at. Again, this is very time consuming because you need to take down notes for the same, BUT they are totally worth it.
Lectures for reproductive and endocrine physiology and GI physiology are a waste of time and I do NOT recommend doing them. You can refer to the Kaplan videos for the high yield systems for physiology if time permits.
With reference to Dr Najeeb’s videos, neuroanatomy requires a special mention. His lectures on intracranial hemorrhages, spinal cord lesions, meninges and the vestibular system are the only ones I could do due to a time constraint.
But his neurology lectures are pretty elaborate and I would recommend doing most of them only if you have started your preparations in advance and can spare time for these. Now you can do away with these lectures as the neuroanatomy questions that show up on the main exam are relatively simple. But that is my perspective and opinions may vary.
This was also the time when I finished reading Goljan for pathology. Again, a time consuming process but a one-time thorough reading is definitely recommended.
The Kaplan Q bank was particularly useful during this period as it helped me apply what I was reading and also helped me with time management. I never faced a time crunch for any test- Neither U world nor NBMEs and Neither on the main exam.
PHASE 3
I started solving my U world Q bank (3 month subscription) in mid-June.
Now this is a MUST-DO for the exam. There is no escaping this and each and every question needs to be solved and reviewed at least once.
I solved the tests on the Timed mode. Initially, I would combine 2 systems together and solve tests till I had about 80-100 questions pending per system. Now this number is variable as some systems have a lot of questions but others have very few.
So be judicious and careful. The last 30 tests or so that I solved were mixed, like they show up on Step1.
Reviewing the tests is a task and it took me practically 4.5-5.5 hours to review each test. I would practically write down every little detail form u world into my FA. I had to attach at least 5-6 extra sheets per chapter to fit in the notes after there was no more space left on the FA pages.
But doing this helped me a lot as my first time doing U World was very thorough and I could read up my notes every time I revised first aid.
FA is the only book recommended while you’re in the whole U World phase because you need to get thorough with FA and you practically do NOT have the time to read anything else, especially if you’re still a student. You cannot compromise your academics at any cost because they matter equally.
PHASE 4
26th July onwards till the date of my main step (1st September).
This is the time to solve NBMEs, Kaplan simulated exams, Uworld self-assessments and also continue revising FA.
I did the whole of FA thrice. A minimum of 2 readings is essential. You can revise the U world tests if you want to during the last 1.5 months.
This is a timeline of my tests and the scores on each (All taken in the year 2015)
Kaplan simulated taken on 26-7-15 score 81%
NBME 15- (2nd August) 251
NBME 16- (15th August) 260
NBME 17 – (25th August) 254
UWSA 1 – (8th August) 263
UWSA 2 – (23rd August) 262
UWorld Total – 77%
UW LAST 30 TESTS – 82%
Kaplan Q Bank Solved 54%. SCORE 72%
Now a lot of people wonder what a good score is and many a times get de-motivated with their NBME or UWSA scores.
The deal here is NOT the individual scores but your progress and consistency.
If you are scoring in the lower range (220-230) in your first NBME, your scores are bound to increase in the subsequent ones. So try and maintain a graph that is positive and if you have reached a point of saturation (250+) try and maintain that.
The length of the questions on the main step corresponds to the length of the UWSA questions, but the difficulty is more along the lines of the NBMEs.
The key here is to NOT get bothered, even if your scores are below your expectations. You have to work hard, keep going and give it your best shot on the main exam.
Go through the heart sounds over and over again and also the CTs, MRIs and other images.
There is a discrepancy between my test scores and my actual score. This is because, while doing these practice tests, I realized that I had a crazy tendency to over analyze the questions and keep changing my answers and that actually got me a lot of incorrect questions.
So I restrained myself from last minute changes and went with my gut feeling. It was a risky move but it paid off for me. So try and analyze why you are going wrong and work towards correcting them your way.
Ohkay! Now I could fill up an entire page again on my experience on the day of the exam. But I’m going to keep this very concise and give you bullet points of the DO’s and DON’T’S
DOs
1) Get a good night’s sleep one day prior. Have a well-adjusted circadian rhythm. A sleepless night and anxiety won’t get you anything.
2) Wind up all your last minute revisions by the evening of the previous day. You have to resist the urge to keep going through FA. It messes with your mind and confuses you even more.
3) Comfortable clothing is the way to go. Preferably no pockets.
4) FOOOOD! Please carry good food and enough drinks to keep you hydrated. Anything that makes you feel good. Chocolates, cookies.. Whatever. It makes a difference.
5) Plan your breaks appropriately. Take a break after every block if you need it. I did the same.
6) Don’t panic staring at the questions. Try and guess an answer even if you’re not sure. Try NOT to skip and leave too many questions unanswered till the end because that can stress you out.
7) Pee when needed.
8) Never re-enter the exam room from a break just for the heck of getting done with the test. Re-enter only when you feel fresh enough for another block.
9) ENJOY after the exam regardless of how it went. You deserve it.
10) No USMLE predictor (online) can predict your actual score.
DON’Ts
PANIC, PANIC, PANIC!!!!
Have some faith in all the efforts you have put in for this one day. It will pay off in the end. Don’t let your worry get the better of you.
(And then finally wait for 3-4 painful weeks for the results to arrive)
THE REAL DEAL: 267. (23rd September’15)
It’s a long journey and it tries your patience at practically every other level. From an ECFMG certification to the application and what not.
But that’s what you have friends for. Having a study partner helps you get through this exhausting process alive and breathing.
It’s tougher when you’re all by yourself with no one to handle those frequent panic attacks and nightmares. Yes we all go through them and it can mess with you.
And the only silver lining at that time is the support of your family and friends who believe in you more than you believe in yourself.
So don’t lose hope! And HAPPY STEP 1 DIARIES to all!!
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All of us have had frightening as well as funny moments with our examiners during our MBBS vivas. Dr. Shwetha Venkateswaran (Brainchild of Grant Memes for Jeejeebhoy Teens) has compiled her experiences in this article. Something every MBBS student can relate to.
Obs-Gyn University Viva
I guess the external examiner was just fed up of asking people relevant questions so he decided to ask me my mother tongue. I said ‘Tamil’.
The external examiner said “Oh, even your ma’am is Tamil. Anyway, I’ve been asking so many questions. Let ma’am ask you whatever she wants you to answer”
Internal examiner ma’am: I’ll only be happy if I see a dance.
External: Oh no no no, I cannot ask her to dance. If she starts dancing here, it’ll be published in the paper tomorrow- Creepy old examiner asks female students to dance in their viva!
I couldn’t control my laughter this time!
Pharmacology Viva (term exams)
Examiner: Tell me your favorite system
Me: CVS!
Examiner: Tell me the classification of ‘Antiarrythmic drugs’
(I’d always skip that chapter because it wasn’t in the important questions and I found it difficult. I guess I should have told him ANS instead! Damn!)
Me: Sorry sir!
Submitted by Dr. Shwetha Venkateshwaran. (Grant Memes for Jeejeebhoy teens)
Forensic Medicine Viva
This was extremely funny. The examiner called 3 of us inside together. We
were the last 3 roll numbers. And as usual, we had ignored Forensic Medicine and read only the important questions for theory. So he started asking questions one by one and we were stumped.
Examiner: Tell me. What is Lochia?
Me: Sorry sir.
Friend 1: Sorry sir.
Friend 2: Sorry sir.
Examiner: Okay, tell me what is section 201 of IPC?
Friend 1: Sorry sir.
Friend 2: Sorry sir.
Me: Sorry sir.
This happened 2–3 more times. We just couldn’t answer anything. One of my friends attempted to answer one of the questions.
Examiner: Are the answers some kind of secret you’ll only reveal to the external examiner? Go. Study next time. I want to see fresh faces next year.
We tried keeping a straight face when he said this and left. Shamelessly!
Orthopedics viva
The examiner was asking everyone the same question to everyone – “What is Trendelenburg’s sign?”.
My friend came out and told us something quickly and in short and we could only recall it in bits and pieces.
He called 5 people inside together.
Examiner: What is Trendelburg’s sign?
We all tried answering it but no one lived up to his expectations and he found some fault with our answers.
Examiner: *Arey beta, apne doston ko puchneka na, main sabko same hi question puch raha hoon. Tumlog bahar discuss nahi karte ho kya? Chalo, koi baat nahi.*
(I’m asking everyone the same questions. You guys don’t go out and discuss viva questions with your friends? Anyway, never mind)
Forensic Medicine viva
This happened to one of my batchmates during the term exam. The viva was taken in a very odd way. The examiner took it in front of the whole class.
It was based on examination of suspect who committed sexual assault.
Examiner: What is the length of the penis?
Batchmate: Umm, 30 cm?
Examiner: Oh my God! *Agli baar dekh ke aana*!
(See one next time and come)
PSM university viva
I thought this will be the toughest viva ever and the exam will start at 8 and end at 5. I saw my batchmate enter the room for his viva and get out in under 5 minutes.
He said ‘She asked me just one question and then checked her WhatsApp messages’
The exam ended at 10:30. I was among the lucky few to get done early because I was the third roll number in the second half of the batch.
The examiner asked me “Principles of Health education” and as usual, I had to remember points, which all seemed the same in PSM.
She was extremely disinterested. I was telling her the answer, she was just nodding. My internal examiner entered. They spoke for a minute. Then I thought she’ll ask me another question. But guess what? She asked me the same question!
ENT Viva
This happened to my sister. Some external examiner was taking 15 minutes per person and my sister was puzzled and wondered why someone would take so long in an ENT viva.
She went in. The external asked her ‘Where do you want to do your PG?’. She said “Any of the Mumbai colleges”. He said ‘Not Pune?’. She said ‘Of course, if not Mumbai, then Pune is my next option’. He then went on to tell her how he did “A famous actress’s” nose job for 50L rupees whereas it costs more than 1 crore in the private sector. All this happened and he eventually asked my sister just one question which she answered.
Also, has anyone ever had those examiner who have asked them, “How many marks should I give you out of 10?”. One of my sister’s batchmates said “9/10” and actually got 9/10. He answered nothing!
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Drugs that cause QT prolongation are fairly commonly tested on most medical entrance tests including NEET, USMLE, etc. Remembering all of these drugs can be a difficult task considering everything you have to remember. Mnemonics make this task easy. So, here is a mnemonic for drugs causing QT prolongation.
A – AntiArrhythmics (Amiodarone, Sotalol, Flecainide)
A – AntiAnginals (Ranolazine)
B – AntiBiotics (Fluoroquinolones, Macrolides, Aminoglycosides)
C – AntiCychotics (Haloperidol, Quetiapine, Risperidone)
“Quick! Grab your stuff and report to the casualty. There is an emergency! STAT!” (I don’t know for some reason everything has to be stat during MBBS internship)
It was my last day at the peripheral health center where I was posted for 15 days as part of my MBBS internship. I was eager to leave early when I got this call in the ward at around 11 am.
So, I reached to the casualty, stat. It looked like just another routine casualty day. Sad prank to play on an innocent intern I thought. I asked the casualty officer what the emergency was? He looked as clueless as the rest of them.
No one seemed to know what was going on. Just then a nurse came out of nowhere and handed me a huge box of what appeared to be medical supplies. Gloves, dressing material, and what not. All crammed into one cardboard box.
“Take this outside! There is an ambulance waiting!” I could feel the adrenaline pump. Yet I managed to ask her what is going on? She said there has been a fire at a godown nearby and the hospital got a distress call. Nothing more.
So I went out. Ambulance at the hospital gate. Engine running. I got in and saw a team of doctors already there. In no time the nurse I met in the casualty came in and off we went!
Sirens blaring, we were traveling at super speed on the traffic-filled roads of Mumbai. We were breaking every damn signal that came on the way. I felt pretty badass!
On the way, everyone, as clueless as me was trying to figure out what was wrong. We constantly kept looking out of the window trying to look for a cloud of smoke. Nothing.
Just then, the ambulance turned left and we entered a gate. The driver announced that we have reached. Wait, what? I don’t see people running around.
It was a bright sunny day with scorching heat. We took a good look around. There were 2 fire brigades with the officials all lined up in a neat row. There was also another ambulance from another hospital. We got off to have a better look. Still confused.
“Udhar Jaake sign karo, mock drill tha!” Said one of the firefighters. Really? I mean like REALLY? I wanted to set the place of fire myself at that point in time.
We reported to the official there who noted down the time. We were there exactly one hour after the first phone call they had made to the hospital. (In our defense, we were there within 20 minutes from when we were told by the hospital.)
Anyway, we started heading back to the ambulance, a little disheartened that we were the last ones to arrive. But then, the gates opened again. We heard the sirens approaching. To our delight, it was the police! We had a nice laugh about how the cops are the last ones to arrive at the spot.
On the way back I began thinking. This was actually pretty cool. I mean, things are actually being done in this country. We keep blaming our government for their poor services and lethargy to do things. I think it is time we also appreciate the good things that they do and encourage them.
I felt ecstatic on the way back. As the ambulance cruised slowly through the traffic, following the traffic signals this time, I felt like I was part of something really cool. One hell of the last day I must say!
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This article has been contributed by Dr. Rohit Nathani who is an intern at Seth GS Medical College, Mumbai. Comment below if you would like to interact.
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It’s here! Oh my God! Should I postpone the exam? These are normal thoughts you will have in the days that lead to your USMLE Step 1 exam day. Winning over these thoughts and having a well-planned strategy will help you get that 240+ on Step 1. So, here’s a complete USMLE Step 1 Exam day guide for you.
First things first, remember you have prepared the best you could. There is nothing that you would have done differently. This entire prep period has been physically emotionally and mentally challenging for you. But now is not the time for self-pity. It’s show time baby!
A Quick recap of USMLE step 1 exam day
Total of 8 hours
7 hours: 7 x 60-minute blocks with around 40 questions each
45 minutes: Break time
15 minutes: Introductory tutorial (You can skip this and add the 15 minutes to your break time!)
The last block may not be 40 questions. (You can have as little as 28 questions on the last block)
What should I study the day before the exam?
Try not to study anything new the day prior to your USMLE Step 1 exam day. If at all, do the rapid review section of First Aid.
Make sure to watch this video explaining the test center
What to wear on the USMLE Step 1 exam day?
They have tighter security checks than airports at the test center. So, use these tips and save your precious break time!
A simple t-shirt and jeans with minimum pockets.
Round neck T-shirt without pockets.
Collars need to be turned up and checked every time you check in and out.
Sleeves need to be rolled down.
Pockets will have to be turned out every time.
Pants without pockets.
Socks and Shoes/ Slippers as comfortable.
Do not put on any accessories (Earrings, Necklace, Watch)
It may get cold in the testing room at times. Carry a jacket, and take it in with you only if you feel really cold.
Remember, more clothing = more checking
What food should I carry to the testing center on exam day?
Carry foods high in sugar (not if you are diabetic!) for quick energy. Your brain is going to need all of that. Snickers, Milkshakes, etc.
Carry whatever you are comfortable with.
Do NOT try new foods you have never tried before (Redbull, etc)
Carry caffeine but use in moderation May produce anxiety. Also, coffee is a diuretic.
Carry foods like sandwiches for your lunch. You don’t want it to be too heavy.
Make sure you carry enough.
Should I carry USMLE First Aid with me?
Absolutely NOT! For one, you don’t have time. And you can never predict what question is going to pop up next.
Go through the 15-minute tutorial the day before your USMLE Step 1 exam day
The 15-minute tutorial can be skipped on the test. This means that you get an extra 15 minutes of break time.
Add it to 45 minutes, that makes 60 minutes break time!
The tutorial on the exam is the SAME as the one that can be found on the link above. So, on your USMLE Step 1 exam day, just check if your headphones are working. That’s it! Skip the rest of the tutorial.
Plan your blocks and breaks in advance
You can take a break after the block is completed.
This article has been written by Dr. Rohit Nathani who is an intern at Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, Mumbai, India. He has scored 255 on the USMLE Step 1.
As a medical student it is very likely that you will be staying in the hostel at some point in your life. The objective of this article is to familiarize you with MBBS hostel life in India.
Knowing what to expect at the hostel and familiarizing your self with the MBBS hostel life will make the home to hostel life transition much smoother for you. (If you haven’t yet checked out our article on Things you MUST know before starting medical school in India, you should read that first.)
Many of you might have to leave your homes to set foot in a different city. And even though it might be tough settling in a new city, once you get used to the MBBS Hostel life, you will cherish it all your life.
So here’s what you should know.
Choose your roommates wisely
Your room mates are going to stick around for at least a year if not more. A non cooperative room mate can make your MBBS hostel life hell.
Try sticking to birds of your own feather, so that you are privy to your comfort zone.
But don’t hesitate to try to be friends with whom you think you can never be friends. You never know what wild or nerdy side they can bring out in you.
Single room or sharing?
If your college allows for single rooms, opting for that can be a good option, well, because you’re the king there, live as clean or as dirty as you want.
But, if you are a people’s person and ready to put up with dramas and aren’t an overtly dramatic person yourself, you can opt for multiple roommates. They say, the more, the merrier. There’s no hard and fast rule. This is your personal choice.
Am I going to be ragged/ roasted?
Ragging is absolutely absent in most of the medical colleges in India today. However some hostels still have “ragging” in an very mild form which involves introduction sessions. These sessions are only a way to build rapport and get to know your batch mates and seniors (and start love lives with the newly arrived juniors of course.)
A friendly introduction session involves you introducing yourself to your seniors and batch mates. It is a good idea to attend these gatherings and get to know each other.
Be open to new experiences as they come to you in your MBBS hostel life as they will shape your personality
Note: Remember. If you are uncomfortable in a particular situation, leave! If anything seems to be getting physical or out of limits, leave! You do not have to stay there. Ragging is a punishable offence in India. Also, there is an anti-ragging helpline available on http://www.antiragging.in/
Is MBBS hostel life all about studying?
Being a medical student in India does have it’s fair share of study hour requirements. That doesn’t mean that it becomes the sole purpose of your life.
MBBS hostel life gives you ample time to work for your dreams other than being a doctor.
Want to be fit? Hit the gym, go cycle, run marathons. Want to dance? join some classes, shake a leg. Want to try music? Go for those guitar classes you always wished to go. Develop talents and hobbies, they go a long way in shaping your personality.
In the end, you won’t remember which chapter you studied or skipped, but these talents will surely make you stand out.
MBBS Hostel life is all about sharing
Sharing your cosmetics, your clothes, your food, your shoes (please don’t share undergarments and trimmers, that level of love is obnoxious).
The good part about this is you learn to live in less and also develop cordial relationships because ‘sharing is caring’ right?
What’s the food like in an MBBS hostel in India?
You have various food options, each of which is worse than the other. Well, this really depends on where you are doing your MBBS in India.
General consensus – the food sucks at hospital canteens in most places! especially if you are used to eating home food aka “maa ke haath ka khaana” (you may be laughing now, but you will crave this soon!
You can opt for a tiffin service (“dabba”) once you get to know the ins and outs of the city where you go.
And there is always the option of eating out and wasting all your money and fitness on it. Well, not really, you will end up sleeping in the best of moods after getting good food that is different from the daily routine (of course apart from the good mood you will also get a bigger belly and zero money at the end of the month, but you’ll learn to live with that, right?)
Learn how to manage being broke temporarily, another big lesson you will learn.
Don’t forget to explore the city when you’re living the MBBS hostel life.
Travel unknown streets, visit weird places, try different cuisines, you don’t know what fun you might be getting into and maybe create some wonderful (or painful) memories along the way. But in the end, you’ll enjoy it all.
Hostel politics? (Yes! that exists)
Try to live peacefully, but that is easier said than done, 5.5 years is a long time. You will be a party to multiple fights, there will be a lot of politics, but eventually with time, everything gets figured out.
You will find out who are your true friends during these times. It’s your Rachel-Monica moment, ‘Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You’ll love it’
Go out there, live it, make your own stories and then tell people and I can assure you when you come to visit your college back when you have a reunion, you’ll look at your hostel, maybe even visit your rooms and with tears of happiness say, “MBBS hostel days were the best days of my life.”
-Dr. Saad Ahmed
(The Indian Medical Student Team)
Tag all your hostel buddies. Do share your MBBS Hostel life experiences with us in the comments section below.
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“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”
– Robert A. Heinlein
That’s quite a start for an article, eh? Now don’t go on ‘YouTube’ing how to butcher a hog, or die gallantly in battle. We have enough of things to read about already! I’m very certain that a lot of you medical graduates always have this question at the back of your minds: “What do I specialize in?”
Very rarely, in my teaching career, (it’s just 5 years, so I wouldn’t really call it a career) have I seen students who say, “Sir, I am still figuring out where my aptitude lies.” Or, “I haven’t figured out my journey yet, and as time passes, I’ll get more clarity, and perhaps then, I’d be in a better situation to answer that question.” The most common answer is “Whatever is available for that rank.” Seriously? You are saying that you want to spend the rest of your life, (that’s another 75% of it, if you live long enough) doing something that you got, according to a rank that was decided by a 3 hour exam ?
The reason for that is simple. We are not looking far enough. We are engulfed with the idea that we want to be good doctors. No, great doctors! Most of us anyway. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Ambition is beautiful. But the inability to understand what we’re fighting for, or what we truly want; now that, is a problem.
There’s a great deal of hard work, consistency and sacrifice that goes in making a great doctor. And if that is a journey one chooses, he/she must learn (or at least try) to be at peace with the difficulties along the way.It is okay if that journey is not for you. It definitely wasn’t for me. I chose a different path. Well, not exactly. Let me tell you a bit about myself.
My name is Dr. Sunit Jadhav. I go by the artist name Sunit Zadav, (I believe the Z is good for showbiz :p) and I’m an Assistant Professor in Anatomy, a Singer-Songwriter and a novice guitarist. I’m not exceptionally brilliant at either of these things, and what I am writing today is more for medical students who feel that there could’ve been another life for them out there.
To conclude it right away, it’s never too late, and there is no reason to quit this amazing course if you find your dreams changing at this really critical age, when your personality is undergoing a very important transition.
This article is just my perspective, and I do not expect everyone to agree with it. Here is my little take on why each of you should feel blessed that you landed up here. And it’s never too late to pursue whatever you’re passionate about, even after you have the ‘Dr.’ prefix added to your name.
I was always a bright student in school. Good in math, good in biology. It was in first year MBBS that I realized that my interest in sketching and my natural aptitude for drawing made anatomy an interesting subject for me. While the others hated it because of the Greek and the Latin, the supero-medial surface and the infero-lateral surface; my right dominant brain and I found it much easier to imagine, interpret and conceptualize anatomy.
So much that I often taught my roommates everything they missed in the early morning Embryology lectures. They said I’d make a really cool anatomy teacher. Around the same time, I found myself playing for two bands, a nu-age rock band called SOS with my school buddies, and the medical college band Prognosis Negative. (Haha, yeah! Don’t YouTube this either! We were pathetic.)
So at the age of 20, just like anyone else at that age, I didn’t have anything figured out and here I was, pursuing the dreaded 5 year course of MBBS. Whenever I asked myself “what’s next?”, “what would I be specializing in?” I found myself in the same limbo, as some of you.
One day, I changed the question. I asked myself, “what would I love to do on most days of my life?” “What would make me content on most days?” And the answer to that was simple: making art. And that’s what I do. Leonardo Da Vinci always said that
There’s a science behind every art and an art behind every science
Teaching anatomy is art too! Surgery is art too! Similarly, playing music is a science! The point I’m trying to make here is, just because you find yourself more inclined towards inter-college cultural festivals and sleeping in the lecture halls, doesn’t mean you’re in the wrong course. You’re just looking at it the wrong way.
Think of an Anatomist teaching the middle ear by creating a 3D model together with his entire batch. Think of a Microbiologist teaching immunology with the help of illustrations! A very angry looking Killer T lymphocyte, and a calm T suppressor lymphocyte chilling together with an antigen in handcuffs. Would you fall asleep then?
Why should medical students be so lost and not focus on the multifaceted development of their brain? Why only academics? Why not art?
Our education system has not evolved as much as other fields. We still have one teacher talking and hundreds listening and taking down notes. Where is the creativity in that? When was the last time you kept your phones aside and felt the rush of learning something new in a lecture hall? Something cool. Something funny. Something different. Something interesting. We are not curious anymore.
We are judging a fish by its ability to climb a tree, aren’t we? We need more creative teachers. And we need more inquisitive students.
So, for everybody who feels out of place in this course.
Firstly, try to look at your textbooks in a different way. Think of them as stories. Apply. Be curious.
Go hang with those super nerdy people who head straight to the library post college. And sometimes, take them out too. Show them a good movie. A well made film, in terms of acting, in terms of filmmaking technique.
Go for a live concert. Not one where thousands are screaming and one man is miming on the mic. But a small place where someone is pouring his heart out through music. You will instantly sense the honesty and the emotion in the atmosphere.
There’s something insanely cool about being multifaceted. About being passionate. Passionate about everything that you see and hear.
Read about the spinal cord in the day and go dancing in the evening. Feel. Feel how there’s so many muscles, agonists and antagonists, playing in harmony with each other, all controlled by the alpha-gamma reflex loop!
Science is everywhere. Art is everywhere. Open your eyes and your ears. Open your minds.
And after your 5 year course ends, if you don’t get into the so called highly paying clinical specializations, maybe you could end up taking a pre-clinical teaching job? Get into para-clinical research? What about MBA? Go meet new people. Interesting people. People who are really passionate about what they do.
Bear in mind however, that it is foolish to let go off opportunity in the quest for your passion. Because passion may change. Opportunity will not.
You know you are here. Doing this course. Don’t drop out. Look for opportunities. Create opportunities! Look for the road less traveled. There’s risk, I agree. But there’s life too. There’s adventure.
Think about it. You could feel stuck in this course looking at the vast ocean of time and knowledge that you have to cross to finally become a successful, practicing clinician. Or you could just live every day filled with creativity and curiosity. Take baby steps and have short targets. Daily. Weekly. Then monthly. And maybe you’ll connect deeper inside of you, and your journey will take a new course? And what if you fail in your exams? What if an academic year is wasted? Is that really failure? Think about it.
Don’t be afraid of failing. Some of the greatest achievers today have failed in class. And who defines success and failure? You do. Not society. Not the thousand years of educational conditioning that we are all victims of.
DO NOT LET AN EXAMINATION JUDGE YOUR INTELLECT!
Human beings are the only animals on the planet who can talk and read and write. Communicate. Make art. The pre-frontal cortex that we are blessed with is a sign of supreme evolution. So much that some evolutionary scholars literally think there’s a missing link in the evolutionary chain. All I’m saying is, maybe we can be everything.
Remember, nobody is in the wrong course. Nobody is in the wrong profession. You’ve got your entire lives ahead of you. Keep learning. Keep living.
– Dr. Sunit Jadhav.
[MD Anatomy]
Dr. Sunit Jadhav (age 29 years) is an assistant professor in Anatomy, currently completing his post MD bond in Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Medical College and Dr. R. N. Cooper Hospital, Juhu, Mumbai. He is also a singer-songwriter and is currently recording his debut album titled Quarter Life Crisis. He often performs live in Pune and Mumbai and you can follow him, his music and his journey through his social media links given below.
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