Any old lock will do, this is the one I use.
My Medical School Essentials | 11 Things You Will Actually Need in Your First Year 9 min read
There were 11 things that I actually used on a regular basis in my first year of medical school that I would say are essential. I always have every one of these items in my backpack at all times (other than business clothes). Here are a list and links to all of those items. If you want to know which ones I chose, and why, keep scrolling.
Table of Contents
1. Stethoscope 🩺
So a stethoscope, big shocker! There is no way getting around this… you definitely need one. I mean how are you going to show everyone else you are in medical school.
But, seriously, you need one. The stethoscope I use is the Littmann Master Cardiology. Most other health care professionals that I see in the hospital or during clinical training say it’s one of the best. Now I am no expert clinician, or even really a beginner clinician, but I remember using one of my friend’s stethoscopes and I could barely hear what I could on this one. If you can keep track of your stuff (that is not losing this) then it’s worth the extra 100$ difference from the Litmann Classic III.
One small tricky thing about the Master Cardiology stethoscope is that it only has one side and that side is a Diaphragm and Bell. If you use firm pressure it is a Diaphragm (best for hearing high-frequency sounds – like lung sounds), and if you use light pressure it is a Bell (best for low-frequency sounds – like heart sounds). There is also no pediatric side, which the Classic III does have, but in my experience, it works just fine with pediatric patients.
2. Pen Light 🔦
The penlight will mainly help you check someone’s pupils and look into their throat.
Before medical school, I just went on Amazon and bought the highest-reviewed penlight I saw. This penlight (DON’T BUY IT) was absolute trash. I went to look into someone’s throat – DARKNESS. I know it’s really meant for the pupil exam but why can’t there be a light for both? There is. (Oh it also felt like flimsy plastic…)
The one I have now is a gamechanger, I can look into the throat no problem AND I can twist it to adjust the light to do a pupil exam.
3. Reflex Hammer 🔨
A reflex hammer will let you test a couple of reflexes across the body which, in turn, allows you to check a couple of neuronal functions.
When I was going into my MS1 year (first year of medical school) I thought you definitely needed that triangular looking thingymajig to thwack people in the knee with. In my first clinical experience course, I remember winding up to hit that Patellar reflex (an area on the knee, which when you hit, should cause the Quad to contract) getting a direct hit. ANDDDD
No cool leg jerk. An awkward look down from the standardized patient. My classmates were wondering who let me into med school…
The standard hammer does work it just isn’t as easy to use as this one. Turns out the triangular hammer is not the standard anymore. I forgot that our school recommended the MDF Babinski Hammer. The next clinical training I took it out and…
WHAM (I’m not hitting it that hard really)
4. Safety Goggles 🥽
You need safety goggles for the anatomy lab, assuming at your school you do dissections.
It needs to be shatterproof and have a side-guard. But really that’s it. Don’t spend too much money on these as I have already lost 3 pairs…
Tip: ALWAYS keep two pairs in your backpack. Trust me you will be saving a comrade in arms with that extra pair before the end of your first month of anatomy.
5. Scrubs 👕
Whether you are shadowing some doctors in your first year or are in the anatomy lab (most likely), you will need scrubs.
I first bought these ones but they were itchy and really restricted my range of motion. I jumped on the trend and bought a Figs shirt and pants *GASP* and they were much, much better. Now they definitely are expensive for something you will, literally, be getting blood and guts on, but when you are standing in them for hours and hours at a time I think it’s worth it.
Now this is my personal preference, I know many many people who just get the ones from the hospital for free, and they work fine, but, for me, the cost/reward ratio was worth it.
6. Books 📕
Don’t tell my professors this but really I don’t use books anymore. OK maybe 2…
Most of the textbooks I can access for free, online, and (here’s the kicker) legally through my medical school. I’m sure yours will have this access too.
The only ones I actually look at are an old first aid book and Costanzo BRS Physiology.
The BRS Physiology book is great for starting new topics (Like heart, lungs, etc.) as it teaches great (surprise) physiology. Every healthcare student forum I scoured before my first year recommended this book and now I see why. It really boils down to the essentials you need to know for physiology and has a bonus of good practice questions at the end of each chapter.
First aid is a condensed list of most of the information you will need to know for Step 1 (which is like the MCAT of medical school, yeah it never ends…). Honestly, recently, I am phasing it out. There is a great app called ANKI which is a flashcard app that incorporates a space-repetition algorithm which was a game-changer for me. I intend to make a video/post about the benefits of ANKI and how I use it to be on the lookout for that.
Now two other question-bank books I use but they are written by professors at my school who write the exams, so *wink wink* I really just go over the practice questions before the exam in hopes of learning some exam-relevant content. If you have professors that have written medical books I recommend buying them or getting access to them, as content from them will more than likely show up on your exams.
So should you buy any books? Yea, buy BRS physiology, and maybe an old first aid, but that’s it. That’s all I used in my first year of medical school.
7. Business Clothes 🧳
When you are wearing your white coat (yes it is awesome) you have to wear at least business casual level clothes. You need to look professional.
Not only with your instructors turn you away if you don’t but also don’t you want to look professional as a doctor (medical student)? Would you want a doctor wearing beaten up sneakers, and an old, untucked, t-shirt with ketchup on it? I don’t think I would, how do they practice medicine if they can’t even meet basic professionalism standards?
For guys, a nice, clean, buttoned-up shirt that tucks into nice chinos or slacks. NO JEANS. Secondly, a tie is optional, I only wear one when I am seeing real patients (as opposed to clinical training or standardized patients).
For girls (who usually don’t have this problem at my school): no jeans, slacks are ok with a more formal top. No crop tops/t-shirts/tank tops; a nice dress or skirt should do it.
8. Lock 🔒
A lock?? For what. I’m not going to be using the gym. BRAIN IS #1 PRIORITY NOT BICEPS. I’m hiTting 13K REVIEWS, TODAY, supersetted with some 9 UWORLD BLOCKS AT 97%. I’ll SEE YOU IN FAMILY MEDICINE IN UTAH WHILE I’M CHIEF RESIDENT in NEUROSURGERY AT MY #1 CHOICE.
Ok, I’m definitely being dramatic here (and don’t worry about some of the lingoes if you don’t know it), and of course nothing against family medicine (or Utah) or any specialty, but some of the posts across these forums… I gotta get off SDN… anyway, sidetracked, back to what you need for medical school.
A lock! Yes, you need a lock. For anatomy lab, and if you want to store stuff on campus you want something to lock up your ~$2k worth of stuff in your backpack.
Any old lock will do, this is the one I use.
9. Portable Charger 🔌
A portable charger is one of the most sneakily awesome things I have always had in my backpack. This Anker battery pack is great. For instance, the portable charger is probably my most used thing in medical school other than my computer. Also, this one has two USB sockets and a micro-USB charging slot (to charge it) so keep that in mind for your devices.
The amount of times I can’t find a wall socket, or a professor decides to lecture us about their new extremely high yield research and your phone or iPad starts to die, BAM, just plug this guy in.
Also sometimes you will be in the library or studying on campus or at a friend’s house and you just don’t have access to a charger. Seriously this ling is a lifesaver. I use it when I travel too. I’m really geeking out here on a portable charger, but really it has made that much of a difference.
10. Headphones 🎧
For the library or a roommate who has decided to learn guitar, I use noise-canceling headphones.
I use the BOSE QC 35 II Wireless headphones. I wear them at school when I edit videos, and on planes. They work great.
11. Computer/Ipad 💻
Finally a computer and Ipad. This is a huge topic, but you need some sort of device. I know people that only use an iPad, but I think you need a computer I really like the iPad for writing on slide presentations in lectures. But the computer is my main driver for other notes, flashcards, practice questions, etc. I will be making a post/video in the future about all these things but honestly, I think any Macbook and/or IPad (with Pencil!) would work fine.
So that’s it. Did I miss anything? I’d love to hear about what you guys use in medical school.
If you’ve been accepted and starting your MS1 year soon, congratulations! You are in for a really amazing time.
7 Products that Make Medical School Easier (I Wish I Bought These Sooner)
You can’t buy happiness with material objects, but they sure can help make medical school much more manageable and far less painful. Here are my 7 favorites.
You don’t need me to rehash the list of items you know you need for medical school, like a stethoscope. These are the items that are often overlooked, either in not purchasing them or not investing enough in getting quality products. Links to all of these recommended items are in the description.
Second Monitor
If you’ve never tried studying with two screens rather than one, your mind will be blown once you do. Doing so allows you to more easily tackle projects that require multiple simultaneous windows, which are actually most tasks. Maybe you’re watching a video of a lecture and taking notes on the other monitor, for example. Or perhaps looking up research articles and reading PDF’s on one monitor, and writing a manuscript on the other.
If you’re deep into the Apple ecosystem like I am, you can even do this with your Mac and iPad, whereby your iPad serves as the additional monitor. There used to be apps for this, but now it’s baked into iOS 14 through Sidecar and is seamless.
I studied a great deal at my medical school in the small classrooms, and we were lucky that there were 1 or 2 TV’s in each. By simply bringing my own cable to school, I would be able to dual-screen my laptop, getting all the benefits of a second monitor without the added cost or bulk of carrying one. I got more done this way and could even share notes or slides with my study buddy.
Robot Vacuum
Medical students are crunched for time, and that’s why I emphasize productivity and efficiency so heavily. Whenever possible, you should seek to automate and delegate tasks to free up your own time. Hiring a maid service can get prohibitively costly quickly, but investing upfront in a robot vacuum for a couple of hundred dollars is well worth it, particularly when that robot vacuum works for years and saves you countless hours of vacuuming yourself.
iRobot is considered the leader in the space, but I’ve had great results with SharkIQ at a fraction of the price. It will even automatically go back to the base station to empty out its contents.
Sit-Stand Desk
Since studying will be such a central focus and large chunk of your day, you want to invest in items that serve that purpose, either making it more comfortable, enjoyable, or effective. A large part of that is the desk you use.
But as a broke medical student, I figured taking an IKEA jerker and fixing it at a higher height would be best. Back then, motorized standing desks were far too expensive for me to justify. I used a standing desk in all of medical school, but it was a fixed desk at a fixed height, and I didn’t use a seat or stool. By having a seat, I figured I’d be tempted to almost always sit, thus defeating the purpose of the standing desk.
I recently bought a motorized base for $200 that goes under my tabletop, thus converting a regular IKEA desk into a fully functional motorized standing desk. I only wish I did this sooner, as I get the benefits of both.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
Optimizing your studying also means blocking out distractions, including distracting noises. It’s for this reason that noise-canceling headphones or earbuds are a must for medical students. I find my AirPods Pro convenient, effective at blocking external noise, and sounding good enough for my portable listening needs. The issue with earbuds is that some people find them uncomfortable over longer listening periods. The alternative is noise-canceling headphones, which trade portability for improvements in comfort and sound. I recommend the Sony WH-1000XM4’s for this purpose.
When studying at home, I found it preferable to get nice speakers, or studio monitors. As I cover in my video on the effect of music and studying, certain types of music can minimize any detrimental effect on focus and memory consolidation while making studying more enjoyable. Invest in a quality pair, as they can serve you for years. I’m still using my same set of Emotiva Airmotiv 4 studio monitors 9 years later.
Slow Cooker or Instant Pot
In the pursuit of eating healthy and saving time, slow cookers and instant pots are lifesavers. If you’re often too lazy to cook, like I am, then slow cookers or multicookers reduce the friction. You simply throw in a handful of ingredients, set the temperature and time, and are welcomed to a delicious and nutritious meal later in the day or the next morning.
I started off with a Crock-Pot, which was a good way to dabble, but once my girlfriend of the time introduced me to Instant Pots, which have a pressure cooker functionality, I was an instant convert. While slow cookers like the Crock-Pot require some planning ahead, the Instant Pot’s pressure function allows for quick cooking and last-minute decisions.
Memory Foam Mattress
Sleep is one of the three pillars in maximizing your performance in medical school – the other two being nutrition and exercise. But it’s strange most of us don’t prioritize it the way we should. Once I upgraded to a quality memory foam mattress in medical school, my sleep was instantly better and back pain was greatly reduced.
You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on a mattress either. I was actually blown away by the very affordable Spa Sensations 12″ mattress from Walmart, which I found more comfortable even compared to many more expensive options.
Quality Water Bottle
Without having a water bottle nearby, you’re likely to find yourself dehydrated, which can impair your focus and performance. My obsession with finding the best water bottle is a bit strange, but here’s what I’ve learned. First, it should be made out of metal, as even BPA-free plastic can still leech other chemicals into the water. Second, large capacity means you can adequately stay hydrated without running out of water or wasting too much time making trips to refill. And third, the mouthpiece should be entirely covered when not in use. I found out the hard way why that one’s important. My go-to and daily driver is the Takeya 40z insulated.
Tea
Those who follow me on Instagram or on my other YouTube channel, Kevin Jubbal, M.D., know that earlier this year I got majorly obsessed with tea. I had dabbled with coffee in medical school at the beginning of my fourth year but quickly realized that the gastrointestinal effects weren’t suited to my sensitive gut. Plus, the jittery wired feeling from coffee wasn’t really my jam.
High-quality loose leaf tea, not the tea bags you buy at the grocery store, is now my favorite drink of choice. The tastes are varied and amazing, but more importantly, tea contains a combination of caffeine and L-theanine. This ultimately results in a calm, focused state.
If you want to dive into good tea and see what you’ve been missing, I’ll be making an introduction video on my personal channel, including all the gadgets to buy and where to source your tea from.
Other Considerations
There are a few other considerations I want you to keep in mind.
First, you’ll be spending a great deal of time at your desk studying, and you should optimize that space appropriately with a second monitor, comfortable chair, standing option, and so on. But don’t forget that how you set up your desk is also critical. You can have the best products but if they’re not set up with proper ergonomics, you’ll find yourself having aches and pains.
Second, I wish I spent more money freeing up my time. Because I had no income and had student loans, I was too reluctant to spend money on a cleaning service or even a robovacuum, and only began getting groceries delivered at the end of medical school.
Third, where you live is hugely important and should not be taken lightly. Does your apartment complex have a gym so you can squeeze a quick workout in when you’re crunched for time? Is it close to your medical school or hospitals? Reducing commuting time will be key, and it’s even better if you can ride a bicycle to get exercise in. Are you close to friends? The importance of social support cannot be overstated.
And last, I bought various products to improve my sleep quality in medical school, and I’m so glad I did. From blackout curtains to smart lights to white noise machines, I cover not only the products that will help you sleep better, but also the science and behavior change to sleep better than you thought possible. For sleep products, read this article, or check out my entire sleep archive.
