I really wish someone told me this list when I first started medical school.

I wouldn’t have to learn it the hard way and scramble to buy whatever I needed DURING med school – which was beyond stressful.

I know certain medical schools require different things. But I’ve only included items that I use and what I consider a must-have, in order to do well and survive medical school.

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1. Laptop (Macbook vs Surface Pro)

This tops ANYTHING else that you need for medical school.

It’s your main source of studying. It’s where you’ll get all your lectures, recorded lectures, resources, and notes all in one place. Most importantly, it’s where you will take your exam!!

This is why the best option is between an Apple user vs a PC user. You need to use a newer laptop.

You can’t risk having your notes or lectures crashing on you while you study for your exam in a few days. I know many of my classmates who’ve used old Macbooks or old Dell laptops and told me horror stories of not being able to study properly because their laptop keeps crashing.

Don’t cheap out on a laptop. You’re already in debt, so use that money to make your studying more effective.

Most people have Macbooks but I’m pretty old school, so I had a PC. What I regretted was lugging around my old clunky 17″ ASUS gaming laptop, weighing almost 10 pounds, 6 months into med school.

It was slow, cluttered, had so much stuff on it, and it wasn’t making my workload any easier.

So, I made the decision to buy a new laptop before the spring semester. And this is what got:

I love it so much!!! It was the best decision I made in medical school. It made my studying so much easier and faster.

The best part about it is that you can detach the keyboard and the screen becomes a tablet! It’s perfect when you want to draw out things (pen included!), such as pathways or anatomical structures for studying.

It’s small, it’s super light, touch screen, and the battery lasts so long! I can study for up to around 8 hours (if I don’t go on YouTube) without even needing to charge! I even take my exams on this!

Get a quality laptop – you’ll thank me later!

If you’re an Apple lover, here are some options my classmates swear by:

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2. Stethoscopes & Medical Equipment

For my school, we had the option to either buy our equipment from a “package” offered from our school or buy individually on our own. I bought the package offered by the school, simply because I had no idea how to use them prior to medical school and I had no idea which brands were better.

I would suggest to buy it from your school if they offer it because then you could rest assured that you have at least the basic tools for the class. Some schools even give them to you as part of your tuition!

I had to buy the “package” deal for almost 1 grand! But it included my stethoscope, otoscope, ophthalmoscope, and blood pressure cuffs.

The only other thing I bought was a medical bag! So handy to have to carry all of your medical equipment as well as look professional with your white coat.

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3. Scrubs

We were required to buy scrubs specifically for the Anatomy lab. Some schools require their students to even wear them to class.

I highly suggest you get at least 2 cheap pairs of scrubs for the lab. Most of my classmates would throw their scrubs away after they were finished with the lab!!

Don’t invest in a pricier brand until you want to wear them for rotations.

I bought 3 pairs of scrubs from Walmart. A pair being about $24, which isn’t too bad.

In total, I spent around $72 for 3 pairs of scrubs. With lab being 2-3 times a week, I didn’t want to stress about washing my scrubs daily.

Here is another affordable option on Amazon that some of my classmates used.

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4. Business Casual Clothing

Obviously, you had a nice set of interview clothes. BUT you actually need a bit more.

When you have practice patient encounters in your curriculum, you are expected to dress professionally (business/business casual) with your white coat. 

You will have these patient encounters quite frequently as it will be when you learn how to think like a doctor and learn how to talk to patients. And most importantly, BE TESTED ON IT.

Dressing professionally is a requirement.

I personally shopped at H&M for nice dressy tops and dress pants.

But here’s some cute and affordable dressy tops that I would buy.

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5. Coffee

I probably couldn’t live a day without coffee in med school.

I switch between Starbucks runs or brewing my cold brew with my french press at home. But I do get quality beans from my local coffee shop and grind and brew them every morning if I don’t go to Starbucks. 

I’ve been loving my little coffee station at home and I’m so glad I splurged a bit on the grinder and the french press to get an amazing taste (and caffeine buzz, yippee!).

I’ve been using the stainless steel french press every day and it still looks brand new! It filters so much better than the cheap ones I used to get at Target.

Same thing with the grinder. I highly recommend these two products for any coffee enthusiast.

(I’m also eyeing that espresso machine on Amazon…someday in the future…because you know – Americano, Please. )

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6. Water Bottle

I’ve been using my 24oz Hydroflask for years. I love it to death!

It keeps my water cold the ENTIRE day.

You have to have some kind of water bottle while you’re at school or when you’re studying. BECAUSE, if you drink more coffee than water like me, you are going to be dehydrated!

And you are going to feel terrible. Trust me. Because coffee = diuretic. So get H2O!

This is the exact one I have and love to death!!! I love the color of Graphite too.

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7. Phone Chargers

This is everyone’s problem at school. We still use our phones pretty often  – for studying or texting.

But most importantly, for school updates – link your school email to your phone!

You don’t want to be in a situation when your phone is dead and there’s some change in the schedule for school or an exam – and you end up being late or show up for no reason.

Always be ready! Have your phone alive!

There are outlets everywhere but you need chargers! Multiples of them! I have one in my backpack, in my car, in my medical bag, and in my apartment. 

These are the ones I hoard. I love the braided cords cause they’re so sturdy. I drove over one before and they’re still fine haha. The gold color is gorgeous.

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8. Colored Pens & Highlighters

If you take notes on paper, you need an assortment of colors to organize your notes so it’s easy to read and review come before exam day.

I’m a bit picky about my colored pens. I hate the ones that bleed completely through the paper. Or if its too pigmented and you can’t see the text.

Or the ones that smear incredibly. Ugh.

These are the ones I use and enjoy, WAYY more than PaperMate.

Highlighters? I only use Stablio Boss. The OG and best highlighters.

I am not sponsored by Stablio, haha. I just love their products and have used them all my life.

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9. Backpack

Med school is still school! Gotta get the bag.

I know some of my friends like using briefcases or purses but I still think a backpack is so much easier to use without fuss. You can cram way more things in it.

This is my backpack. There are so many pockets!

But I made sure it had laptop padding so my Surface Pro would be safe – it’s my baby.

Surprisingly, I had a lot of compliments on this backpack. 

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10. First Aid Book

So many of you would know, med students use First Aid to study for the USMLE Step 1 examination – which is the first board examination med students have to take.

It’s like a book that compiles your first two years of medical school.

It’s like the Bible of medical school. Seriously.

A lot of my classmates use it as a studying aid during their first and second year of medical school, just to get exposure to the information to prep for board studying.

Cause that’s the most important thing in our lives. Well, currently.

I’ve definitely used it to aid my own studying as well but not extensively because I really just don’t have the time.

This is definitely an important resource you would want during medical school in order to succeed on boards – especially at the end of your second year in medical school.

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And that’s my top 10 essentials to survive in medical school! I don’t think I could survive without a single one of the items during school.

I hope you found this as a useful and entertaining read! I also use some of my essentials in my Day in a Life of a Med Student During Quarantine post, so please check it out if you’re interested!