TMJ Show - TheMDJourney Podcast

How do you become more efficient on your rotations as a med student and eventually, a resident!? Rotations, especially for med students new to it,  can be really stressful, overwhelming, time-consuming, and many other levels of discomfort. But don't worry, you are not the only one to feel the same way. I wasn't 100% perfect either on my first set of rotations and I can tell you as a resi...

How do you get better grades in medical school with just one tip!? Med students use many strategies to study, memorize and prepare for tests and rotations to up their grades. Some listen to lectures and take down notes, and call themselves prepared. Others use apps and other tools like Anki and flashcards to get them ready. And still others look for inspirational boost from a video or a quote to k...

We’re finally talking about Step 3; an overview on what it is, my study schedule and more!   The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 3 is the last test you have to take to become a licensed medical doctor in the United States. It definitely sets itself apart from Step 1 and Step 2 with the pressure of it being the last test standing on your way to get that converted M.D. In St...

What are the keys to studying with Anki? Just using Anki doesn’t guarantee good grades in med school. Like any study tip, tool or method, it may not work equally well for everyone and, often, it’s how you use it that makes all the difference. Nonetheless, Anki can be a big help for memorizing a bulk of information, preparing for tests, and setting up a proper study system for med students. Persona...

How do you take notes for med school? If you are a pre-med or med student right now, I highly encourage you to develop a note-taking strategy that works for you. It may seem trivial, but is actually critical if you want to survive med school and move forward to becoming a doctor. There are so many things to remember, analyze and reevaluate in medicine, so it helps to have notes that can help you w...

How do you remember and retain what you read in med school? Med students have A LOT to memorize and understand during their pre-med days in college, med school, and moving forward to the road of becoming a doctor.  With that in mind, I have heard a lot of students tinker and test with many different study techniques, trying out the latest memorization advice they read and just constantly in search...

How do you give better patient presentations for your rotations and improve the chance of getting honors? Premeds may be surprised to know that by the time med students get to do their clerkship, some still haven’t nailed the skill of delivering great presentations.  I’ve been there, and now grade clinical rotations, and it is indeed it is a skill med students need to develop They are not only for...

How do you use Picmonic for your first two years of med school There are a lot of books, tools, websites and apps designed to help you in med school. But one app that truly stands out, especially for the first and second your med student, is Picmonic! Whether it be helping you with USMLE Step 1, Step 2, or learning the different organs and fields like cardiology, Picmonic has a great library of re...

What do you do if you don’t get into med school? Medical school rejection is tough! You spend so much time, maybe even your whole life applying, prepping and asking around how to get into med school, then you hit this road bloc First, remember that it’s not the end of the world. There are doctors who don’t get into the school of their choice on the first try, some take gap years after premed, and...

How do you make med school easier?  Pre-meds and med students in their first few years may feel that the journey to becoming a doctor is a matter of survival. It’s understandable especially with how stressful things like prepping for the USMLE Step 1 or nailing your clinical rotations can be, in fact we talk a lot about those in this channel.  Getting into med school, graduating, becoming a doctor...

How do you use Anki cards to study and review faster in med school If you are a med student or even a pre-med researching how to get into medical school, you’ve likely heard about Anki. I have talked about it in the channel and I am sure there are a lot of students and doctors doing videos and blogs that have praised how helpful it can be. But how exactly does it help you improve memorization for...

What is it like being a resident doctor? A resident physician’s experience can vary a lot as it goes on. So, when I got enough messages from pre-meds, med school students and others, I started thinking about addressing them in another Q & A video. Prior to working in medicine up to now, there are recurring questions and discussions about how doctors mistreat nurses, the excessively high pay of...

Who is resident Dr. Lakshya Trivedi M.D.? What secrets do I have up my sleeve? I have been doing TheMDJourney since I was a med student and a lot has changed. There have been significant changes in my personal life - I am finally a doctor and a few years into my residency in internal medicine and many more. I have received a lot of questions about general med school tips, Step 1 prep, clinical rot...

What are the mistakes you should look to avoid when getting ready for your clinical rotations? As a resident, I have done and now graded rotations. I have noticed some missed opportunities and things you should flat out avoid! You’d be surprised at how something as simple as clear communication and professionalism are, unfortunately, not practiced by some med students. This is your chance to get a...

Med school is too hard! But is it really? I have heard a lot of premeds and new med students worrying. They are concerned about the difficulty of medical school It does seem like a challenge just by looking at the time and money involved. If you start asking actual doctors about studying in med school, you’d be surprised how widely the answers can be. Some have a sense of achievement, some are gra...

How do you stand out as an introvert in med school!? Personality traits are not everything. Some think extroverts have the advantage when it comes to practicing medicine and probably other jobs that require you to interact with a lot of people. The image you may have of an introvert could be someone quiet, shy, and not one to raise their hands first or give opinions. But, if you are an introvert,...

I needed medical school loans to become a doctor and I am sure I’m not the only one who has trouble paying them. But I want to talk about how I took out $2,000 off my med school loan in just a month! Personal finance and med school loans are important discussions on becoming a doctor. Not everybody can pay the full tuition so they have to take on debt that takes a while to pay off But aside from d...

How do you get a high USMLE Step 1 score by studying for just 20 minutes a day? We’ve talked a lot about preparing for Step 1 on this channel and that’s for a good reason.  Step 1 is one of the early tests that a med student has to take and can help or hurt your chances as you progress in med school with rotations, the match, and various other assessments and training in the process of becoming a...

What are the benefits of not going to class in med school? The way that medical school is structured is not perfect. It assumes that we all learn the same way at the same time intervals. Does that mean you’re doomed to having to take classes especially in times when you are not as productive!?  Nope. That may sound surprising. Some of you may think going to class is a must and even necessary to su...

How do you stop procrastinating and get more done? Whether you’re in med school, a pre-med or even a doctor, the conversation on how to beat procrastination and how to be more productive is always there. It’s so much easier to watch that next Netflix movie, call that friend whom you haven’t talked to in a while, or do other tasks that are not a priority. But, we all have to eventually beat that pr...

I’ve talked a lot about my medical journey and now that I have my M.D., I want to share with you the lessons I have learned during my first year as a doctor. Just like some of you, I’ve thought about a career in medicine countless times during my pre-med days, including studying for Step 1 as a med student, preparing for the MCAT, med school rotations and many other steps of the journey It’s one t...

How to study long hours a day and stay focused? Sometimes, simply getting started is the best way to focus and concentrate on productive studying. You don’t want to spend long hours and just end up getting the same or poorer grades than before But it is fair to ask, how can you study long hours and still stay motivated? It is key to remember that the most effective way to study isn’t the same for...

How do you study faster and get better grades in med school? With so many study tips, techniques and strategies out there saying that they can help you get high grades, it can get confusing and the mixing and matching may not work for you.  There is no one true way to study as a med student. What may work for a top-notcher may not always work for someone middling in his or her own grades. It’s bes...

Looking for the best books and resources for your clinical rotations in medical school? A lot of med students and some very eager pre-meds start looking for different guides, resources, and information to prep them for a clinical clerkship early on.  With lots of materials and resources being freely available, sometimes you spend too much time just looking for the right material than actually read...

How to get into a good residency program? It’s never too early to think about medical residency applications even for a first-year medical student or a pre-med who knows that medicine and being a doctor is for them. This is especially true since some of the common areas that programs check are your clerkship grades and Step 1 score alongside many others. But aside from what program evaluators look...