A Typical Day in Medical School

Tom Mallory, a first-year medical student, wrote in his blog:

7:00 AM – My alarm clock rings. I quickly turn it off. 5 minutes later my second alarm goes off. Having two alarms is much safer. I brush my teeth, eat breakfast and pack all my notes, my textbooks and my laptop into the backpack.

7:45 AM – I walk to school.

8:00 AM – The first lecture of the day begins and usually the classroom is only 70% full.

8:30 AM – It’s halfway through the lecture and at this point I either increase my concentration and focus on the lecture or… begin checking my e-mail.

8:45 AM - The daily messages begin to flood my inbox: faculty e-mails, student announcements and people looking for rent or selling their old textbooks. Sometimes there are personal e-mails from friends and family.

9:00 AM - Break time. I get up, stretch, and go to the washroom. There are only a few more minutes before the next lecture begins.

10:00 AM – Students fill the hallway to the anatomy lab. The smell of formaldehyde is one that you don’t forget easily. Time always passes by quickly in the lab as we dissect our cadavers.

12:00 PM - Lunch hour. It’s a great time to hang out with friends, make necessary phone calls (banks, utilities, etc.) and catch up on some studying.

1:00 PM - On alternating days, we either have small group learning or clinical skills teaching. If it is a small group session, ten or so medical students along with the instructor begin discussing the case prepared for that week.

3:00 PM – If it is a clinical teaching day, my group follows a preceptor to see patients. We practice our history taking and physical examination skills, learn about different diseases. Clinical teaching is definitely the most enjoyable time for me.

5:00 PM - My day at school officially ends, but the real work begins.

5:30 PM - I usually go to the gym for a quick workout or relax a bit.

6:00 PM – I study for an hour.

7:00 PM – I cook dinner. I often eat it either in the company of friends or school notes. I also like to cook my meals in bigger portions and pack the leftovers for lunch.

8:00PM – 10:00PM – I study again. There’s an awful lot of stuff to learn in medicine.

10:00 PM – I dedicate this time to messages, Facebook and answering e-mail. Taking a shower is nice, too.

11:00 PM – 2:00 AM. I usually study most productively at this time. I like to study and work until I feel tired and go to bed. As you can see, medicine is not a 9-5 job, especially as a student when there is so much to learn.

1. Ответьте на вопросы о типичном дне Тома и своем рабочем дне.

Questions about Tom’s day	Questions about YOUR day
What time does Tom wake up? Does he get up right away?	What time do you get up? Do you get up right away?
Does he eat breakfast?	Do you eat breakfast?
What does he pack into his backpack?	What do you pack into your backpack (or bag)?
When does his first lecture begin?	When does your first lecture begin?
Do all the students come in time for the lecture?	Do all the students of your group come in time for the lecture (the first class)?
How long does the lecture last?	How long do your lectures last?
What does Tom do in the Anatomy lab? Does Tom like lab classes?	What do you do in the Anatomy lab? Do you like lab classes?
Does Tom have lunch at midday? Does he only eat at that time?	What time do you have lunch? Do you only eat at that time?
What is the most enjoyable time for Tom?	What is the most enjoyable time for you?
Does he only do his homework for an hour?	Do you only do your homework for an hour?
Does he often meet friends? If not, what does he do instead?	Do you often meet friends? If not, what do you do instead?

3. Сравните обычный день Тома и свой день. (Обратите внимание на формы глаголов!)

Образец: Tom wakes up at 7 o’clock and I wake up at 7.30.

1. Tom brushes his teeth and eats breakfast. I __________________.

2. Tom walks to school. I ___________________.

3. Tom’s first lecture starts at 8 o’clock. ____________________.

4. Tom’s lectures last 1 hour. ______________________.

5. Tom sometimes checks his e-mail during the lecture. __________________________.

6. During the lunch break, Tom has lunch and hangs out with friends. ________________.

7. Tom dissects cadavers in the anatomy lab. ____________________

8. Every night, Tom studies a lot. ____________________________.

9. Tom sometimes eats dinners and studies at the same time. ______________________.

10. Tom goes to bed late at night. ___________________________.

4. Прочитайте текст A Typical Day in Medical School еще раз. Выпишите из него все глаголы, разделив их на две группы – правильные и неправильные. Для неправильных глаголов запишите три формы, которые необходимо выучить! Для правильных глаголов – произношение окончания –ed, изменения в написании основы слова (удвоения конечной согласной, изменение y на i).

Образец: