Blog Post Focus: Studying in Residency
This blog post is about studying and residency. Is it still necessary? To be a resident one had to pass medical school. Now you will be learning on the job…right? Unfortunately, studying is still necessary as a resident. Often, studying will be active while treating patients, but studying is necessary beyond this to provide solid treatment and to reinforce knowledge about the condition’s treatment and your responsibilities in your specialty.
So, the answer is yes, residents still need to study.
Personal Experience with Studying in Residency
I studied a lot in medical school, but I did not study particularly well. The few weeks I had set aside for boards preparation for Step 1 and Level 1 and Step 2 and Level 2 were disproportionate learning times for me. That is, although I studied a lot throughout the year, it wasn’t until these board prep times where I really was able to put together a plan that made sense to me at that point. In those dedicated study periods I learned far more than at any other points in medical school up to that point.
Then, at the end of my fourth year of medical school and as an intern I found great resources and implemented much better study habits and felt much better prepared for Step 3 and Level 3. These study habits helped me perform better as an intern too.
Then, I continued these study habits throughout my residency. I felt much more competent and confident with patient care and boards prep. If I had started these same habits the first day of medical school I would have been a much stronger student and an even stronger resident. I found studying to be necessary for me treat my patients optimally and to prepare for boards.
General Thoughts Regarding Studying in Residency
It is Part of Your Job
Part of your job as a resident is putting medical decision making into practice. If you are doing your job well then you are actively studying medical decision making for your field. You are studying diagnosis, indications for certain managements, and any related discipline. You are learning by doing. So long as you are doing it well you are learning well too. However, if you are doing it poorly then you are not learning it well.
The Benefits of Studying in Residency
Beyond the day-to-day practice of medicine as a resident studying is still important. Studying strengthens your knowledge, which strengthens your ability to practice medicine. It also prepares you for boards, which will cover information you may never see in residency.
Boards Are Still Important
Boards preparation is still important. You are a physician at this point, but most likely you want to be board-certified. Studying should cover the information necessary to be ready for your boards examinations and also prepare you for the setup of those board examinations, whether your field has written boards, oral boards, or other boards.
Final Thoughts on Studying in Residency
Studying Beyond Work
Yes, you should still study as a resident. That is, set aside time throughout the week to go over information for your specialty. As a resident your job is a form of studying, but the efficacy of that studying is going to depend on your current knowledge base and the strength of your residency program. So, letting your residency training be your sole “studying” is probably not enough.
At this point you either know what works for you or you have realized you have poor study habits. Set aside time to study in the means that work for you, or set aside time to learn better study habits now so that you can learn the information you need and put it into practice during residency and be ready for your boards exams.