Let’s be honest here for a second: when universities across the country first announced that school would be remote for the rest of the academic year, the hollers and cheers of excitement were loud enough to be heard from anywhere. Classes from the comfort of your bed and pajamas? Absolutely. Not seeing friends and family, being laid off from work, cancelling summer plans, and having to stay at home all day for months? Not so exciting anymore is it?
The need for healthcare workers has been emphasized and appreciated more than ever during this pandemic. Public health has been altered for the course of history as well as the role of politics and economics. If you had told me that the hardest thing for me during 2020 would be finding toilet paper, I would have thought you were joking. It most definitely was taking Biochemistry online.
I’m sure a lot of pre-med students are not alone in feeling unproductive, unmotivated, and behind. Most of us have had our summer plans cancelled; we’ve lost out on shadowing opportunities, neat medical internships, in-person trainings and certifications, and/or even a normal application cycle for medical school.
As aspiring physicians, everyone has felt some form of setback during the COVID-19 pandemic. But I’m not here to dwell on all the things that went wrong – that’s out of our hands and beyond our control. I’ve spent hours searching Google for ways to be occupied this summer, tips on how to stay motivated, and pre-med related opportunities to still make this time count. So, to those of you that are looking for things to keep busy with, things to put on your resume (yeah, yeah don’t deny it, I get it), or simply just advice for anyone considering the medical field, keep reading.
1) Don’t beat yourself up for having “nothing” to do: you’re not alone. It can feel even more stressful having lost out on opportunities and time this summer, but graduate and medical schools are aware of the circumstances. Spending the summer at home is beyond your control and you’re not necessarily doing “nothing”: you’re protecting yourself, loved ones, the public, and our current healthcare workers by isolating yourself. With that said, medical schools will ask how you coped during this pandemic and while you don’t have to say that you managed to work in a Yale lab and find a vaccine, there are other things you can do to make the most of your time.
2) Networking: this one might be obvious if you read my last post, but it’s a great time to network and use LinkedIn to reach out to people in your field of interest. Personally, I’ve engaged in Zoom and Google Hangout calls with residents, physicians, and medical students about how the pandemic has affected their lives and what they foresee in the future of healthcare. This is a fantastic way to expand your professional circle; who knows? Maybe a connection you made during this time will have an opportunity for you when it’s post-pandemic and in-person positions open up for students.
3) Online classes: if there’s a class you’ve always wanted to learn more about, now’s a great opportunity to do that by looking up a topic among the 450 active, free online Ivy League courses offered. I used https://www.classcentral.com to browse health science and business classes that really interested me, and I can’t recommend enough challenging yourself to explore something new. “Outbreaks and Epidemics” at Johns Hopkins University was my personal favorite. Check it out!
4) Self-reflection and mental health: now can also be a good time to think about your path to medicine and changes you would like to see in healthcare when you’re a practicing physician one day. There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic will be discussed in medical schools, interviews, and classes going forward; it’s important to stay educated on changes to the delivery of health care, telemedicine, and solutions to the lack of medical equipment for frontline medical professionals. Use this time to also take care of yourself or try something you’ve always wanted to, but never had the time to as a pre-med student. Baking, painting, having movie nights with your family, or gardening are just a few things I really enjoyed myself.
5) Virtual volunteering: with a lot of events being moved to a remote format for the remainder of the year, a lot of opportunities have become available to help virtually with. Working as a Telemedical Scribe, a Crisis Text Line Counselor, an online tutor, or a grocery deliverer for the elderly are a few examples of ways to get involved all while practicing social distancing. My favorite resource to find remote volunteering positions can be found here: https://www.volunteermatch.org/covid19
6) Prep for the MCAT: I’m picturing a lot of you groaning at this bullet point and a good amount of you probably want to skip reading it, but hear me out – you have the time and there’s not really much else you can do. It certainly doesn’t hurt to review content, do a few more practice tests, make flashcards, or even develop a solid study plan. Get ahead while you can; you can thank me when you get a killer score.
7) Set goals for yourself: whether it be trying a new workout plan, applying for scholarships, or a personal hobby, try setting daily short-term goals for yourself to boost your productivity and motivation. I’ve been spending just an hour every day trying to learn Sign Language and it makes me feel so accomplished when I’m able to get through a YouTube lesson. Scheduling out your week or day in advance can not only help you manage time better, but give you something to look forward to during self-isolation.
8) Lastly, if none of these options sound interesting to you, I suppose there’s one more thing you could try: start your own blog :)
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