We are in Week 8 of Tri-2 in the DC program and fully buckled down with exams. One piece of key advice: do not procrastinate! With the amount of content we are learning in each class, it is crucial to keep up with your studies so that you don’t feel like drowning the days creeping toward exams. Reviewing material over the weekends and creating study guides in preparation for exams definitely saves time, energy, and stress as exams roll around. It is also a good idea to invest in some anatomical posters and skeletons that can help you in your studies as well as add to your future practice, such as the skull in the image below!

I am a visual learner so I appreciate being able to hold the skull and point out landmarks. For example, a crucial landmark is the pterion, which is a junction between the greater wing of sphenoid, frontal, temporal, and parietal bones. A fracture in the pterion could be life-threatening as it overlies the anterior branches of the middle meningeal artery.

While it is a stressful time, it is important to remember that these are just exams and they truly do not define the amount of knowledge we have gained throughout the course. While it is important to strive to understand material and do well on exams, bad days do happen and you will not remember every single detail you have studied. That is okay. Part of learning is gaining awareness of content you thought you knew well, but maybe do not. Post-exam time is the best opportunity to review exams and, most importantly, catch your breath and relax. This is a challenging program, but we will make it out as great doctors!

Let’s make it through these midterms so we can finally enjoy these sunny days and warm weather!

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