5 Best Desks for Medical Students

Along with a computer and internet connection, a desk makes up for an indispensable element in succeeding at university studying medicine, so I’m going to give you some of my suggestions of the best desk for medical students and how you should look to choose one for yourself.

We may receive a commission when you use our links. This is at no extra cost to you and never affects our product selection process.

Having separate areas for work and play is crucial for anyone aiming to be more productive, as Cal Newport delves into in his bestselling book “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World” and this blog post of his. The brain is slow to switch between different tasks, leading to major inefficiencies in most students studying habits.

Having a dedicated space where you carry out work (without distractions) is crucial to allow you to work deeply, and achieve more.

I recommend the FEZIBO Height Adjustable Desk as the best desk for most med students. The FEZIBO is height adjustable, allowing you the option of getting out of a sedentary position while still being able to get work done.

What Type of Desk is Good For Medical Students?

Desks for Ultrawide, Dual, or Triple Monitor Setups

I have plenty of in-depth articles on choosing the correct desk size for an ultrawide monitor, and the best desks available for 3 monitor setups but I will keep it simple here. All these setups provide you with more monitor screen area, but consequently, take up more of your desk space.

Lots of the medical students opt for these larger setups due to the increased productivity associated with them and I am a big advocate for using more monitors. If you intend to have a medical student setup with multiple monitors or an ultrawide monitor, just ensure that you do account for the extra space required.

The first 2 desk suggestions have more than enough room for these kinds of setups. However, I recommend you consult the articles above for your particular setup to ensure there is enough room if you are interested in one of the final 3 desks as these are slightly smaller.

L-Shaped Corner Desks

Corner desks provide more workspace to you while also giving the impression they are taking up less of your room than a standard desk. Choosing a desk shape generally comes down to personal preference, but I would strongly recommend you consider an L-Shaped Desk if it fits the dimensions of the space you have available to you.

Standing Desks

When I select desks I put a massive focus on ergonomics and ensure that all the desks I recommend can allow you to get into an ergonomically optimal position. Standing or Height Adjustable desks offer the easiest way to break up prolonged sitting and have actually been shown to increase user productivity.

There is evidence correlating sitting for longer uninterrupted periods of time and postural backache. This is the case despite average total sitting times being similar for those with and without backache in the study. So it is easy to conclude breaks are really important to help prevent the problems associated with the hours of sitting required of programmers.

The NHS recommends these strategies to help combat the observational link between sitting and ill health spotted by experts. However, some studies suggest swapping for standing desks has the potential break up sitting time.

FEZIBO Height Adjustable Desk

This beautiful height adjustable desk offers the option of both standing and sitting, so you can reap the benefits of both. With the long hours every student spends sat on their desk chair at their desk, you really have to give standing a try. I certainly prefer it, and it’s also surprisingly easy to get used to.

This is a higher-end desk that offers everything and more, for that reason it may be out of some student’s budget, you can check the latest price here on Amazon and make sure to check out the options below if this pick is a bit too steep.

You conveniently get 3 preset buttons to customize your height from 32.87″ to 52.56″ so you can get comfy with ease and speed. Spacious sizing options of either 63” or 55″ lengths give you plenty of space, with the pull-out keyboard tray leaving even more room on the desk for you to have the things that really matter.

Also, you get the added bonuses of 2 desk hooks for headphones, jackets, or bags and a handy cable management tray. The cable management tray, along with the vast space on the desk, makes this desk perfect for multiple monitors, with leftover room for extra decorations or devices.

The beautiful design and functional features make this desk the perfect fit for students desiring a stunning new desk. You can see this desk here on Amazon. And here is a useful setup guide if you decide on buying.

Bestier L Shaped Desk

This giant of an L-Shaped desk is the perfect option for any medical student with room for a bigger desk.

This desk can easily fit 3 monitors, or a dual monitor setup on one side and any other devices, textbooks, or decor you want on the other. You could even choose to set up this desk as one ultra-long 94.5″ desk.

Included with the desks are some very convenient shelves, a headphone hook, and a monitor stand. The shelves are adjustable in height so can be used not only as bookshelves but also to elevate your PC off the ground.

This particular desk comes in a wide array of colors, so you can find the one perfect for your room’s setup. You can check the latest price on the Bestier L Shaped Desk on Amazon by clicking here.

HOMCOM L-Shaped Desk

Endowed with an L-shaped design, this desk is the perfect workstation for med students. There is plenty of space for documents, academic papers, and all the research resources a you could needs at your fingertips while learning. The table panel is large, allowing you to place all you need on the desk, ready for a comfortable and organized study session.

The storage section is made up of a three-tier shelf that provides considerable space for books, gadgets, and office supplies storage. The nice thing about this L-shape desk is that it can be folded. Before you jump into heavy studying, you can pull out the storage section to store items on top of it for easy access. Then when you finish studying, you can push the shelf back under the table to make more space in your room.

Having a steel frame, the desk can withstand high pressure, allowing you to store all kinds of things you need to carry out your research. The engineered wood panel surface is scratch and water-resistant which means the desk will preserve its appeal over time. You can find this particular desk on Amazon here.

In case you want to move the desk to another place, you won’t need to lift and carry it. The incorporated wheels will allow you smoothly transport the table throughout your house without even needing another person to help. Once you reach the new destination, use the available brakes to fix the desk in place.

Cubiker Office Desk with Drawers

This desk has everything needed for a medical student to learn and work in comfort. It provides a large working surface where you can place your laptop, notebooks, lamp, and school supplies. There may even be leftover space for decorations or anything else you might like.

Since every student has high storage needs, the desk comes with two roomy drawers where books and documents can be safely stored preventing mess and clutter from building up on your actual desk. Moreover, beneath the drawers comes a wide shelf to accommodate other college-related or personal stuff. For example, you can place there your smartphone to keep it out of your site and ensure it doesn’t disturb you while you are studying.

So much storage space ensures you won’t have to distribute your items all over the house or dorm, then turn your living space upside down searching for the needed books or supplies. All this for a get price, making it a great choice for any college student on a budget. You can check the latest price on Amazon here.

Another feature that will greatly benefit anyone working at the desk is the solid metal frame, which provides ultimate stability even with heavy books or devices. The adjustable leg pads prevent annoying table wobbling and tilting, helping you concentrate on the task at hand.

32 Inch Writing Study Desk

This small and portable table can provide a pleasant and learning-friendly environment for any student, boosting their focus and desire for knowledge acquisition. You get a work surface of decent size that is large enough to fit all the studying essentials such as textbooks, notebooks, laptops, and other supplies.

The desk is great value for money (check the price on Amazon). However, you may find it a bit small if you are looking to have a desktop PC with monitors or lots very heavy medical textbooks. That’s why we recommend this desk if you are on a tight budget or have limited space.

Also, there is room for a few snacks and for a lamp to promote a comfortable late-night studying environment. The table has a simple assembly, so it’s very quick and easy to put together even for a medical student with little DIY experience.

The desk comes with footpads that prevent floor scratches and can be adjusted to add stability to the workplace, preventing the annoying distraction of a wobbling desk. You can find the latest price on Amazon here.

How To Choose A Desk For Medical School

You will have a lot to consider when choosing a desk for studying medicine, and while we can’t definitively determine the best desk for your circumstances, there are a few key details you should always pay extra attention to, here they are.

1. Dimensions & Shape

An L-shaped desk can often offer a greater size of worksurface while giving the illusion it is taking up less of your room. L-shaped desks are always my preference, however, some people simply prefer having a normal straight desk. The actual shape of the desk you go for relies on nothing more than your personal preference, and the free space you have for your desk.

The amount of room you require and the number of desk accessories you have will together determine the size of desk you will need. I find a width of 60 inches is a good starting point for any standard desk, and then depending on how much extra room you need you can opt for a desk that will meet your requirement of space.

You should also ensure the dimensions will allow you to achieve an ergonomic work setup as detailed in the video below. I really like this video and use it in lots of my articles, it concisely shows you how you quickly make your desk setup ergonomic.

2. Surface Size

Check the measurements of the surface area to ensure that your monitor, keyboard, and other accessories will fit comfortably. Like I said above, I start from a width of 60 inches and adjust for my extra needs for the desk I am buying.

When it comes to the depth of desk you require, as a medical student, I would advise you to get a desk deeper than the average person would need. A deeper desk will allow you to multitask better. By this I mean you can have both written work and a keyboard directly in front of you, without having to compromise with your keyboard being at a weird angle or your books way over to one side. Here is a more detailed rundown of the ideal desk depth for every situation.

3. Storage

Not every desk comes with storage, but if you don’t have a bookshelf in your room, some form of storage will be incredibly useful as a medical student. Even if it is just a couple of drawers, having somewhere to keep all your textbooks and notes will help you keep your room tidier, which has actually been shown to improve human accuracy if you are a conscientious person.

4. Extras

You should keep an eye out for any extra add-ons you wish to be included with your desk. Monitor stands, headset holders, and adjustable height features are all examples of extras that could be useful depending on your studying habits. You may not want or need them right now, but consider the long term and if you foresee yourself expanding your original setup.

Best Medical Student Desk Setups

For desk setup inspiration, I strongly recommend you watch this video by a personal favorite productivity youtube of mine, and also a former medical student (now a junior doctor) from the UK.

You can also find more inspiration in these pins of med student setups I picked out on Pinterest.

In Summary

Choosing the best desk as a medical student can be difficult given the large variety of options available on the market. However, there are some features you want to look for in a desk that can make a difference in the quality of the studying process.

First, go for a large working surface that allows you to keep all your needed stuff in easy reach. Bigger is always better when it comes to desks.

Also, opt for as much built-in storage space as possible to keep your books and supplies organized and always by your side.

All 5 options we have mentioned above satisfy perfectly these requirements, so depending on your personal preferences, hopefully, I have already helped you find which desk meets your criteria best.