My top tips for medical students starting placement. Yes, its a thread. So if you like it, please retweet and tag in medical schools/student associations.

1) Reflect on one case a day and read around the management, try to understand how guidance was developed and the rationale.

2) Expertise comes from exposure. Do as much as you can, read as many ECGs, take as many blood samples, clerk as many patients. Once something takes little thought to start, you can devote more of your mind to mastering it. I have a rule; 1000 x and you can be confident.

3) Listen to patients, really listen. As you become more senior you will develop targetted histories, but this is you opportunity to learn not just how patients communicate illness, but develop your patterns of approach. Sometimes the most off-hand comment can be the diagnosis

4) Work on communication skills, omit medical terms and learn to speak to people from all different backgrounds. Communication is the most valuable skill you will need day to day. Don't be afraid to ask patients for feedback and pointers.

5) Seek feedback from a variety of team members. All comments are positive, as they either validate your action, or show you how to improve. Never shy away from assessment, as one day you will be doing the one assessing.

6) Engage in trying something new everyday. Be it a new procedure, or a different way of approaching a clerking. Learn what works for you and the patient. For example, I in the last two years I have changed my method of questioning entirely.

7) Focus on learning about social factors of illness, home situations and support. Family is very important to recovery, and learning this from the outset means you will better understand the road obscured from view.

8) Don't waste time. If you feel that you are just lulling around, go find something to do. I hated the long waits for things, so by the end I didn't anymore.

9) Listen to the nurses. They are an endless source of experience, and they will be your best friend on the ward, and your most regular colleague. They are very sensitive to changes in patients, so take their concerns seriously. And treat them as equals.

10) Approach yourself as a student, even when you qualify. Medicine is ever-changing, and the day you feel that you know it, is the day you retire. There is always a new discovery, a new approach, and a fascinating new insight.