It is almost 10 years ago now that I sat my final surgical exams. Hard to believe how time flies! Throughout school and medical school there were several things I did to maintain my Health and Wellness.

1) Know the big things- I was big on efficient study rather than prolonged study. I made a list of the big-picture items that I had to know inside out. Everything else was icing on the cake.

2) Good Sleep, Good Food- Get enough sleep. There was a candidate who decided to have an “all-nighter” the day before his Fellowship exam. He was a jittering mess on exam day and failed. Enough sleep is different for each individual . For me 6 hours seemed to be a minimum number. I would get to bed early and rise between 4-5am feeling fresh and ready to study before work. Eat a well balanced diet with room for treats and rewards. Junk food only makes the mind sluggish and dull. I used coffee rather than abused coffee .

3) Maintain the balance- in the one year prior to final exams all activities apart from work and study had to take a back-seat. Despite that I made time for some yoga,
meditation and exercise, as well as a little golf . In fact, my day-before exam strategy was usually 18 holes of golf. I found that having a clear head was more useful than any last minute cramming.

4) Keep perspective- at the end of the day, what is the worst thing that can happen- “I fail the exam….” Yes of course that is not the desired outcome, however, there are plenty of worse things that can happen in life. Being a simple person I stuck to the old adage, ” read the question; understand the question ; answer the question “. Simple as that!

5) Meditation/Visualisation/ Affirmation/ Mudra- no amount of this will help if you haven’t done the basic preparation. Meditation helps you to clear the mind and access a state beyond nerves. Visualisation enables you to see a positive result. There is a time and a place for positive thinking and affirming that “I am prepared , confident and capable” sends a strong ripple of positivity through your being.  For the clinical exams you must find a powerful position to keep your hands (mudra) that conveys confidence and control. Avoid fidgeting. No one teaches these things in medical schools, so do your own research.

Accept that there will be ups and downs along the way, and then give it your best shot!

Good luck!

In Health and Wellness.