Wondering what the must-have essentials for medical school are? Well you are SO in the right place! I have listed the TOP 13 essentials that I use all the time. Most of them I use every. single. day. And there’s a couple on the list that I’m just straight up obsessed with 🤣.
I will say the thing that surprised me the most in my first year was the fact that you really don’t need all that much to start medical school. I thought I would have a ton of text books by now, but even though some of our professors technically require them I don’t even buy them! I’m not a fan of reading haha. I much rather watch a Sketchy or Boards and Beyond video if I need some extra clarification.
Some things are also provided by your school too. So I would definitely suggest waiting until after you’ve started school to buy a bunch of supplies and what not. See what they say you actually need first then go crazy!
This post is all about must-have essentials for starting medical school
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13 Must-Have Essentials for Medical School
Must Have Essential for Medical School #1: Stethoscope
Just 3 months into medical school we already needed to have a stethoscope! In first year we used these about once a week during DOCS when we interacted with patients. DOCS is the class where we learned to interview patients and perform physical exams. For this, we had a standardized patient that’s like an actor who also teaches you. So anytime we were with them (you’ll call them SPETAs) we needed our stethoscope. You’ll use it when listening for bowel sounds and to take blood pressure, just to name a few.
Another time we needed to grab our stethoscope in first year was when we went to the clinic or hospital with our preceptor. This is when we practiced all the things we learned in DOCS with real patients. So we definitely needed our stethoscopes then!
And trust me, having a neat stethoscope case to go along with it comes in super handy.
#2 Laptop: Best for Creating Anki Cards in Lecture
Alright, I have both a laptop and an iPad. If I HAD to choose one I would definitely have to go with my laptop. The #1 thing I use it for everyday is making Anki cards during lecture. Specifically, I use the split screen feature to have the powerpoint from the lecture on one side and Anki on the other. I can easily make all the cards I need during class instead of going home and doing it all afterwards which would be so so inefficient.
I used to have an HP laptop (twice actually) but they both broke. So that was my obvious sign to switch to Apple which I am sooo happy about. At first, I didn’t think I’d need a case but I quickly changed my mind after spotting the first little scratch on top.
Must Have Essential for Medical School #3: Essential Books
Since in first year, Step 1 was obviously still really far away for me, I didn’t use the First Aid Kit like the Bible yet. BUT what I did use it for was to find out how relevant topics we were learning in each block were for Step 1. If they taught us something that seemed random and maybe we wouldn’t need it on Step 1, I searched the term in the book to see if First Aid covers the topic. If not, then at the end of the block I’d delete the cards related to that topic. First, I just got the PDF version, but I would recommend both since the search feature in the PDF version is clutch. The only reason I didn’t buy it right away is because they told us we would get a free version from school.
When it comes to learning anatomy, I still recall the two moments of panic during first year anatomy lab exams! The doubt, the unpreparedness, the third order questions, the ridiculously short amount of TIME they gave us?! Hear me when I say: If I had such an EPIC resource like Kenhub’s Anatomy Atlas, I would have been able to come up with a real plan to tackle my anatomy weakness head on. Because going to our mess of a lab where we never knew what we were looking for sure wasn’t it. So start early to master anatomy and your future self will be forever grateful!
On top of that, I loved using these flashcards to learn brachial plexus for anatomy. I would put them up on my whiteboard and draw it all out:
#4: Business Casual Outfits for Medical School
Alright number four on the list is business casual outfits. Funny story, they told us two days before orientation that we would have to wear business casual the whole first week! I don’t know why they told us so last minute. 😅 Luckily I had plenty of business casual outfits to get me by. Also I followed two girls on Instagram who started around the same time as me. They also had to wear business casual for their orientation SO just put it on your list of “essentials for medical school” and assume you’ll be wearing business casual that first week. You’ll also definitely need it anytime you’re in a clinic or hospital and when you work with standardized patients! I like to go for a cute blouse, wide-legged pants and loafers (this is one of my favorite pairs).
#5-8: Scrubs, Shoes, Gloves & Lock for Anatomy Lab
Get yourself some CHEAP scrubs for anatomy lab! They are just going to stay in your locker and stink like straight up formaldehyde anyway. Obviously in medical school you’re going to want a nicer pair of scrubs eventually, but not for anatomy! I chose this scrub set solely because they were so very affordable, cheaper than anything else I saw. Most others were like $20 for just the top and just the pants by themselves so I thought this was a great find. Only thing I would change is going a size down to XS because it’s unisex and their small was SO big on me. I didn’t even care enough to swap out the sizes though. It legit doesn’t matter what you look like for anatomy lab, I promise!
And comfy shoes, please! This is a non-negotiable if you spend many hours on your feet during clinical rotations and such. My personal favorite are Clove shoes!
Don’t forget to also get a proper lock to safely store away your stuff. Not to mention gloves – another one of those small but important essentials for medical school, especially for anatomy lab!
Optional Extras: Glasses & Compression Socks
Also, we didn’t do dissections for our anatomy lab. If you’re school does, you will probably want some glasses as well so you aren’t getting anything in your eyes! These also have blue-light blocking which is fantastic for sitting in front of your screen for hours.
Plus, I personally don’t wear scrubs without my compression socks anymore. It feels just so much better when I am on my feet all day on clinical rotations. My go-to are the ones from Comrad. Just give them a try and you’ll probably soon know why (use code MAGGIE25 for 25% off).
Must Have Essential for Medical School #9: Backpack or Bag
What I looked most for in a great backpack for medical school? Tons of functional pockets! This can literally make all the difference between chaotic and scattered vs. organized and confident on your first, second and 100th day in medical school. Seriously, ask for this as a graduation gift or treat yo’ self if you don’t have a great backpack and tote yet. The third one is currently sitting in my own cart, can’t wait to take it out for its first test ride on clinical rotations.
#10: Coffee Maker – Best for Saving Moolah!
Don’t buy coffee at a coffee shop everyday!! Even though an espresso machine can be spendy, you are going to want a lot of coffee over the next 4 years and it absolutely pays for itself after probably by the first year! My husband George and I have a ridiculous amount of various coffee makers haha but if I had to choose one I would definitely pick the Nespresso. It is so convenient when you are rushing out the door in the morning because there is nothing you have to wash after. If you’re like me and sometimes you wanna switch it up between cold and hot coffee, I highly recommend this cold brew coffee maker too! Plus it’s cheap!
Wondering how I make my yummy latte’s and iced coffees? Just add a splash of milk and a syrup like one of these and it will taste delish! Plus waaaay less sugar than a drink at Starbucks. Win win!
Bonus Kitchen Essentials for Medical School
The other thing I do to save money on my caffeination habits are buying Celcius in bulk. Trust me, this is WAY cheaper than buying them one at a time. Buying a whole box is just a third of the price as buying ONE at a place on campus 😳. That absolutely adds up over time so be sure to be smart when you caffeinate! It’s such an easy way to save money!
Since I try to stay away from caffeine in the early morning hours though, I have been on a tea kick and been using this kettle every morning. It’s not the prettiest but we just bought the cheapest option and it works great!
#11: Study Space – Best for Comfort
Okay, yes my study space is quite the splurge haha. But really, I think the bare minimum for a sweet office space set up is 3 things: a comfy chair, a desk to study at, and whiteboards! I love my big whiteboard, but I’m also a huge fan of the small ones for studying too!
When I bought my first round of essentials for medical school, I got more of a budget desk chair. But I soon realized that I am spending way too many hours studying each day to make big budget cuts here. Since then, this chair has been amazing and so many people actually reached out to get the link since yes, it is as cozy as it looks! I am currently eyeing this other desk chair which seems to get more points for its ergonomic features. Will definitely try that one next!
For your desk, I have two options that I love. First, nothing seems to beat Flexispot standing desks for me, truly. But if you don’t want to splurge on this, the more basic option is perfect for you. It even has an integrated monitor stand and some storage space!
And if you are a visual learner like me, a whiteboard is perfect to learn brachial plexus for anatomy and other fun concepts. If that’s you, I bet you’d also get tons of value from my FREE Biochem Quiz Sheets. Enter your details and download yours below!
#12 & 13: iPad and iMac
Alright, again these are absolutely must-haves for me but don’t feel like you need to splurge on expensive devices for medical school! Would my grades change if I didn’t have these? Nope. Do I ABSOLUTELY love them? YES.
Apple iPad – Best for Notability During Class!
My specific iPad is the 12.9 inch iPad Pro (6th generation). I personally use the pink case way more than the magic keyboard. I take both my iPad and laptop to class everyday so I don’t usually need the keyboard with it.
Also, something to note when you make a big purchase is to do the whole “reward hacking” thing. I’m not a financial expert so this is not officially financial advice. BUT if you are responsible with your credit and want to get some major reward points then getting a new credit card before you purchase something like this is the PERFECT way to do it! I signed up for this credit card with which you can earn 60,000 bonus points with either Chase Sapphire card. Then got the $200 in bonus rewards so it’s like getting $200 off your iPad! I wouldn’t suggest doing this if you don’t have the money to pay it off immediately though otherwise the interest will pile up and you’re not really getting the full benefit of the hack!
Any who, my favorite thing about the iPad for medical school is definitely Notability. I have Good Notes too but over time I stopped using it and ended up liking Notability way better. Above is how I organize my notes on my iPad! Each block I create a new divider then add a new subject for each week of that block.
Apple iMac – Best for my Med School Desk Set Up
My iMac is by far the best purchase I have made ALL year. Again, not necessary to splurge this much even for medical school but I love it so much. The webcam is CRAZY clear and I always have the clearest video on Zoom calls. I’ve also never had a screen bigger than the screen on my 13″ laptop so I love having so much space!
Every morning I walk into my office and start my weekdays by doing Anki cards on this and it’s just the best. Also, they things you can do between your iPad and iMac are SO cool!
Final Thoughts
There ya have it. The top 13 must-have essentials for medical school! I literally LOVE all these things and wouldn’t be able to do med school without them!! Haha, dramatic I know but if you watch my vlogs then you already know I’m a dramatic human being! Anyway, I hope that this post and video was SUPER helpful for you. And if you’re starting your first year of medical school soon then OMG best of luck!! You will seriously crush it!
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