Although you are here to work, it is just as important to throw yourself into absolutely everything Uni and the LMSS has to offer. You ' re here to enjoy yourselves and have an incredible time, and the LMSS will be at the core of that for you. You ' ll hear loads more about the various sub-societies, sports teams, academic events and fantastic social events that LMSS puts on throughout the year in this guide, so I ' ll leave the Committee to tell you about those. But the best bit of advice I can give you is just to throw yourself into absolutely everything. Try a new sport, go to the Ordinary Meetings. If you fancy raising a bit of money for a good cause, LMSS also puts on some brilliant charity events,.
Having been involved myself in all of these events during my time at Uni, I can honestly say LMSS has helped me develop hugely as a person, which has been invaluable for starting work as a doctor. I would not have been half as confident starting work had I not joined the LMSS and been involved in all their events. Trust me, having a brilliant calendar WILL make you a better doctor. The happiest ones in hospital are those that work hard and play a hell of a lot harder. Once you start hospital placements, you ' ll even find some Consultants who have been involved in the LMSS back in the day.
You may also be experiencing living away from home for the first time, having to cook, managing your own money, going to bed whenever you want, going out on a school night and doing the next morning ' s lecture on an hour ' s sleep. It ' s all fun and exciting. But look after yourselves and each other. Especially when it comes to revision time. Although Uni life is enormous fun, there are inevitably exams at the end of every year. The best F1s in hospital are those who know how to talk to people( something you really can ' t learn in an exam), not necessarily those who got the highest marks! You ' ll learn that there ' s more to Medicine than just the exam results. And when it comes to revision time, you are STILL ALLOWED TO HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE! You do not need to be locking yourself up in the library for hours and hours and hours. Of course, make sure you do some work, but I ' d advise getting up at a reasonable time, doing a few hours ' work( without distractions- turn the TV off) and getting it out the way. Keep your evenings free for fun things. Even cooking nice meals for yourself or going to the cinema or pub can make you feel refreshed, and it ' s something nice to look forward to after a long day ' s revision. So don ' t lock your self away and live off Tesco meal deals( you ' ll end up feeling rubbish). Even in the run up to finals, I remember having a strict rule of books down by 5PM and doing a fun activity every night of the week, even the night before exams. Of course everyone is different, but don ' t compare yourself to others. Do what works for you.
A word of advice I would give is be careful what you put on social media. The gutter press always look for any excuse to have a go at doctors, so just make sure your profiles are private and that you don ' t post anything which will get yourselves or peers into trouble. So think twice before you tweet!
Most importantly, do not panic. If there ' s one thing Medical School taught me is that getting stressed doesn ' t help anyone or resolve an issue. If you ' re feeling under pressure about exams, home or personal struggles, or struggling to manage your student loan, anything, LMSS will be here for you and it ' s important you use them. Remember, they ' ve all been in your shoes before!
Finally, have an amazing time! If you have any questions at all about starting Uni, the LMSS, what Medicine is like, which societies / clubs you should join then ask any of the Committee and they ' ll be delighted to help. Alternatively, you are more than welcome to drop me a message on: joemannion @ doctors. org. uk and I ' ll be happy to hear from you!