Medicine is such a hectic course that when you finally do get time off it can be hard to decide what to do with yourself! Whether you’re looking to live a life beyond medicine, gain valuable experience for your future career or just take a total break, here’s some ideas to get you started on your summer…
Live a Life Beyond Medicine!
Hobbies
We all have activities that have been pushed to the wayside for medicine. Now’s the time to dust off the piano, save your football boots from the ever growing pile of forgotten items at the back of that cupboard and return to that hat you started knitting two years ago! Don’t be afraid to go after a new hobby, it’s never too late to start something new and college is a great time for branching out!
It can be annoying that once we’re finally free to crawl out of our medical bubble, all the college societies close shop for the summer! However, no worries, there are plenty of other opportunities to develop your hobbies and interests.
- Friends. You probably have friends with similar interests to you. Why not get a group of likeminded friends together to start your own five aside team/book club/band…you name it
- Clubs outside of college. Get involved with your local sports club or sign up to a theatre group. There are plenty of societies outside of college
- Get paid to do what you love. Find a summer job related to your hobbies. There are lots of summer camps aimed at different interests (sports, drama, music, art, the list goes on).
Reconnect with friends
Medical students get a bad rep for neglecting their non-med friendships. (It’s not that we don’t want to spend time with you guys, it’s that we’re literally no fun when we’re swamped with study.) Now’s your chance to reassure your friends that you haven’t forgotten about them.
It can also be nice to meet up with your med friends in a different environment to the stress of med school. Going on road trips/sea swims/just meeting for a lunch where you don’t talk about medicine can be a great bonding experience.
Summer job
A summer job can be a great way to kill two birds with one stone by keeping yourself occupied for the summer as well as earning a good bit of money. The hospitality and tourism sector often needs more staff in the summer months so hotels, restaurants, bars, local attractions and airports are good bets. Your university may also offer job opportunities for students in the summer months. Examples include cleaning staff, admin jobs and tour guides. Click the buttons below for jodseeking sites in Ireland.
Travel
If you have the opportunity to travel, take it! You’re probably not going to have this much free time again. Now’s a better time than any if you want to travel abroad for a long period of time. Working abroad is a great experience. Popular options include working in language camps around Europe and doing a J1 in the USA.
Advance your Medical Experience
Get involved in Research
If you want to use your summers to bulk up your resume and help your career as a doctor then assisting in medical research is a great idea. Contact your college or physicians in your local hospitals expressing your interest in conducting research studies/writing papers etc. Most medical professionals would be delighted to have a student to help out with the more tedious parts of research and it will be a valuable learning experience for you.
Take a Phlebotomy Course
There are phlebotomy courses you can take that will allow you to work in hospitals, taking bloods from patients before you graduate
Pharmacy Sales Assistant
Working in a pharmacy can give you valuable tools for your career in medicine such as communication skills and knowledge for pharmacology (even familiarising yourself with the drug names can be a great help.)
Hospital Admin Job
If you want to experience working in a hospital environment, helping out with admin (for example a receptionist job) is a good idea.
Take a Break
It’s not called summer break for nothing! As medical students we have an inherent drive to constantly be productive. The best thing you can do for yourself this summer is probably to give yourself a break and allow yourself to wind down and relax.
Slow Down
After the hustle and bustle of the academic year it’s important for your health to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life.
Do What You Want
The summer is your time for you. Don’t feel pressured to follow along with something just because lots of other people are doing it. Do what you want with your summer.
Click here for my post on how to have a self love summer!
