MS1s, we’re here for you. You’ll hear many things from many people in med school. Utilize the good vibes forget about the bad ones.

With that said, I’m gonna share some of my personal thoughts in a thread as they come to me:

#MedTwitter #MedicalSchool

1.00/ [You deserve this.]

Call it imposter syndrome or feelings of being overwhelmed - it’s easy to feel out-of-place. Either way, you beat incredible odds to get here. As an MS1, there will be times when you feel distanced from patient care and “medicine” itself.

1.10/ That is because...you *are* further from it than MS3/MS4. The system isn’t perfect. But you are immensely closer to patients and the heart of healing than you were as a premed, as an undergrad, as a high school student. *You* made it. Take the time to reminder yourself.

1.20/ As someone who is shit at exams, anatomy was rough. It’s even more rough if you are being told how inferior you/your class is at anatomy (yes, happened). Rougher yet when your anatomy scores are un-scientifically extrapolated to future Step 1 scores.

1.30/ The reality is you will have times as a medical student when the medical system/pressure pull you down. Let’s prepare for those times:

1.40/ Find your center of focus - put that up on a {high shelf}. It’s easy for your world to become small, circle of influence to become stagnant, you’ll need to step back and consult your special ‘shelf.’ The rest becomes insignificant.

1.50/ If you had an untraditional path to med school, you’re not alone. You deserve to be here just as much. You have stories, bumps, and more reasons that led you to medicine. Dig into that grit when the pressure is great. It’ll help part those clouds. The sun will shine again.

1.60/Fin You deserve this. Your future patients deserve you. They want someone who will stand up for them and care for all aspects of them, particularly their mental health. The only way to champion that is by learning to do the same.