I’ve always been somewhat of a morning person, but many of my classmates are night owls. While this lifestyle is acceptable in the first and second years of med school when you get to the third and fourth year, you’re no longer able to abide by your own schedule: early mornings are pretty much mandatory! If you’re not a morning person, here are some tips on how you can pretend to be one and make it to Rounds on time:
- Hit the hay early. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s surprising how difficult this actually is! The hard part isn’t getting up early; it’s actually going to bed early enough! If you have a 5 AM wake up call, make sure you’re in bed by 9 PM to get a good night’s sleep. While it may be hard to fall asleep that early at first, your body will adjust quickly and your morning self will thank you for it.
- Follow a routine. By always following the same routine, you’ll take the guesswork out of each morning’s tasks. Also, as time goes on, the more efficient you will become and the later you can sleep in!
- Set up your outfit the night before. I’m the kind of girl who changes her outfit three times before deciding on the right one. I’ve found that picking out what I’m going to wear the night before down to my socks and underwear makes mornings go much smoother for me. It’s especially easy when you’re on surgery or OB/GYN and can just default to scrubs!
- Prepare meals the night (or even week) before. Grabbing meals in Tupperware in the morning that you can just grab and throw in your lunch box for the day is a lot quicker than making sandwiches in the morning. During surgery, I even made a huge batch of eggs and separated them into Tupperware containers to be microwaved while I brushed my teeth before heading out.
Meghan
MD
Meghan graduated from Albany Medical College in May 2018. She's moving on to practice as a family medicine resident in upstate New York. n her spare time, Meghan is an avid runner.
Continue to follow her journey on Instagram, @marathonsandmedicine.
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