Hello, my lovely readers!
I cannot believe that I am almost done my first year of medical school. It’s mind-blowing. Anyways, I thought I would start a series called, “A Typical Day in the Life of a U of T Medical Student.” In this series, I will be sharing what my schedule looks like on a day to day basis. This post will be focusing specifically on what a typical Monday looks like!
7:00 am
Alarm goes off and I lay in bed for a few more minutes before starting off my day. Once I finally find the motivation to get out of bed, I head straight to the kettle to boil some water for my first coffee of the day. My favourite instant coffee has been the Maxwell House Original Blend, but if I feel like I need something with more of a caffeine kick, I’ll opt for the Nescafe Espresso instant coffee blend! So good.
Anyways, as I wait for my water to boil, I hop in the shower to really wake me up. I am someone who does everything in the shower… teeth brushing, face washing, the works. With my wet hair wrapped in a towel and wearing my comfy robe, I enjoy my coffee in bed while catching up on emails and going through my social media feed.
During this time, I also make something to eat for breakfast. My recent go-to meals have been either toast with peanut butter, cinnamon and honey, apple slices with peanut butter, or Greek yogurt with granola and berries.
8:00 am
Time to get dressed, blow-dry my hair, do my makeup, and pack up for class. I also throw a few snacks in my bag for class. Three hours of lecture works up quite the appetite. If I know it’s going to be a long day, I will also pack myself a lunch.
8:45 am
Time to leave my condo and walk to class.
9:00 am
Arrive to the lecture hall in the Medical Science Building, take my seat, and get settled for lecture.
9:10 am
Lecture begins. Typically, we have three lectures on Monday and they are usually around an hour each in length. They all focus on the pre-week learning videos and modules that were to be completed prior to the lecture, then expand on the topics to give us more detail. Typically, we will learn about a variety of diseases related to the organ system we are focusing on during that block, along with their etiology, pathogenesis, risk factors, treatment, and management. We may also learn about certain surgical procedures, guidelines, and studies related to the specific disease. Lecture is very informative and interesting.
In between lectures, we also have 10-15 minute breaks to get coffee, snacks, or ask questions!
Also, if you didn’t complete pre-week during the weekend. You also have the option of watching lectures later from home, as they are all recorded and not mandatory to attend. Sometimes, depending on how fast the lecturer speaks, I do find it beneficial to just watch them from home, at my own pace.
12:00 pm
Lecture is over. Typically, I will go home to eat lunch and then work remotely at home for the rest of the day. However, sometimes I will head to a coffee shop with my friends to work on modules, self-learning material, or prepare for other things like anatomy.
1:30 pm
Time for student-led CBL. CBL, or Case Based Learning, is a collaborative study session where groups of students work together to go over a virtual patient case, relevant to the materials presented in lecture. This is something that can be done remotely, using collaborative online documents, or in a group setting.
We go over the weekly module provided to us on the virtual patient. The patient typically begins their journey in the primary care setting and we follow them along as they are referred to specialist, visit the ER, or undergo surgical procedures. Throughout the module we are provided with their lab and test results.
We are also assigned a variety of questions to answer about the patient’s illness and how to treat/manage the illness. At the end of the session, we submit this file to our preceptor to review as a group on Thursday afternoon at the hospital.
4:00 pm
CBL is over and we send off our assignment to our preceptor. Now, all academic requirements are done for the day. I usually study at home during this time, prepare for Tuesday morning anatomy labs, make dinner, and relax for the evening.
10:00 pm
Get ready for bed, maybe indulge in a face mask, and wind down!
So, there you have it! That is a typical Monday in medical school at U of T! If you have any questions or comments about this post feel free to reach out to me via social media or email!
XOXO,
The Girly MD (to be)