Advise for studying and managing stress

[browneyedgirl]

Anyone who has gone through or is going through a program in the medical/ healthcare field knows how stressful it can be. There is so much information the memorize and so much pressure to do everything perfectly. Which is understandable as you want your healthcare professionals to be competent, but it is extremely challenging.

I finished classes almost 3 weeks ago and I am really struggling with letting go of my stress. I still feel like I need to be studying constantly and, while I have been putting together some review cards, I still feel like I’m not doing enough and maybe I won’t be ready for practicum. Does anyone have any advise on how to let go of this stress and these worries?

I start my practicum in the fall where I will be in a hospital spending a couple weeks in each discipline. There are so many little details and things to know. Our instructors have emphasized that we need to be prepared and that it is not the practicum instructors responsibility to be reteaching us last year. Does anyone have any strategies on how to remember all the things? And also, how not to stress myself out about practicum?

Looking for advise from anyone but especially from those of you who have gone through a healthcare program. Thanks!!!

[Big_daddy]

You've made it this far, that proves you are capable.  You'll be fine!  Just keep being the best you can be.  Make sure you give yourself time to relax and enjoy life and maintain a good work-life balance.  Study your notes every day (almost every day). 

[Gentleman_Daddy]

Consider one of the many many study skills publications and remember that you can only do what you can do in any given day. If you set up a diary make sure you have periods for rest and relaxing and maybe give yourself rewards for meeting targets.

[NR_Daddy]

I'm sure that nobody is expecting you to know everything to begin with. It's practically impossible and we are always learning in life.

Your education will have prepared you for working in multiple disciplines, but the likelihood is that you will work in a specific discipline, which you can specialise in further down the line. This will make life a lot easier for you in focussing your efforts and studies.

No doubt you will know what disciplines you will face come autumn, so it might be an idea to prioritise studies around what is coming first, but really you should have confidence in the fact you have made it this far, and take a break first before planning your studies around what you will face.

[MissNMTX]

Do you by any chance know what your learning style is? It's easier then to tailor techniques to what works best for you. Generally speaking, remember you have made it this far. I'm sure the hands on learning in the Fall will be a useful tool/experience. In the meantime, be proud of how far you've come and let yourself enjoy a bit of a break. As a healthcare professional, you know how bad stress is for the body.