What would my Doctor self tell my Medical Student self? (Part 2)
As I continue to imagine what I would say to my medical student self, I think about how fortunate I would have been if someone had imparted these things to me during those times. My life and career would possibly be in a different direction now.
Don’t get me wrong; I am thankful for everything I have achieved and even more grateful for the hard lessons that life have taught me. Truly, life is indeed the greatest teacher and probably the strictest one too as tests actually come before the lessons themselves.
I kind of gave my medical student self a good “shelling” during my last post. It is a fact that I was a wishy washy person during medical school. I worked and studied less than was required and complained more than any other medical student.
I was not popular and was even disliked by many professors too. I am not proud of this fact. There is that feeling that I spent too much time complaining about things when I should have spent it bettering myself and preparing myself for the coming years in this career.
This is where I will start off in my imaginary journey back in time;
“So, how is everything now? So you have an exam tomorrow in Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology? Still the same complaint of “too much to read, less time to do it”?”
“Well, maybe if you spent less time groveling over what needs to be done, you would actually get something done! Instead, you’re wasting your time staring away at nothing and hanging out with your non-medical student friends!”
“Then you go back to your dorm at midnight and start ranting how unfair your professors are to give you so many exams the next day! I don’t know what kind of stupid moron you are but you should know that professors are not there to make life difficult for you!”
“Your teachers are there to nurture you and guide you on your journey to becoming a competent physician! I know, since I am one myself. There is no greater joy for me than to see my medical students graduate and become compassionate healers. That to me is worth more than anything in my career.”
“You don’t like your professors?? Well you don’t have to. All you have to do is to heed to what they are trying to impart to you. Your professors are human too and they all have their own personalities, shortcomings and quirks. That should never deter you from reaching your goals. Understand that they too have their own challenges in life but the mere fact they still make it to class is a testament of their commitment to your success! So, please respect your teachers!”
“Biochemistry and Physiology exam on the same day? So what?? Did it ever occur to you that those two subjects are actually related to each other?”
“Yes, all medical subjects are inter-related. Indeed, there are twelve main subjects in Medicine that are tested but they are all related to each other. The problem that many medical students have is that they all treat these subjects as if they were all separate from each other.”
“Treating these subjects separate from each other is like eating up all the rice on your plate before even touching your fried chicken and vegetables. The subjects all have there own “stories” but somehow these stories are intertwined with each other. Many students fail to see that connection.”
“Failing to see this connection also leads to subject bias. Yes, you hate Physiology and Pharmacology right? (That’s Ironic since you will be teaching those subjects in the future hahaha).”
“In order to learn things properly you should set aside all emotions and biases. Learning has a strong emotional component. We tend to learn from subjects we find interesting faster than from subjects we dislike. If we hate a subject, no matter how long we study it, nothing seems to happen.”
“Setting aside bias and realizing that each and every subject in medical school will have an impact on your competence to deliver patient care in the future will enable you to better absorb the information taught to you by the professors and text books!”
“So, treat all subjects equally!”
“I also noticed you are doing too many things that seem unimportant. Will playing those video games help you become a better anything? Will you being the best counterstrike player make you a better doctor in the future?”
“Part of your complaining about medical school study load is the fact that it takes almost all of your time. I know you want to do other things too. I know you are at that age where you want to enjoy your life. If so, you need to know that you want. If enjoying is the only thing important to you then what are you doing in medical school in the first place??”
“You are in medical school to become a future healer. Someday people you do not know personally will seek your help with their ailments. Some of them are in pain and suffering while others are dying. Will being the best video game player help them in any way?”
“Any time you waste now could mean a patient’s life in the future. You don’t take the topic of ECG seriously but how can you identify an ST Segment Elevation or Q-Wave Myocardial Infarction in the future if you don’t? So, just because you didn’t study well your patients will have to suffer for it?? That is so unfair!”
“My advice to you is to DO NOW WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE! Things that matter most should never come second to things that matter least!”
“Too lazy to study and want to slack off because at the end of the semester you know there is still a removal examination to look forward to that could save your sorry ass from failing? Wow, please stop wasting our parents’ money!!!”
“If you think your are the only one sacrificing you are so wrong! Our parents sacrifice more than you know. While all you have to do is just attend classes, sit and study, Dad has to see over forty patients a day just to make ends meet! Mom also has to look for other ways to make money because sending you to medical school as well as your sister and brother to school is a huge financial burden!”
“Our parents could have spent this money on travel or buy things for themselves but instead they gave it up so that you could have a good and stable future! Remember that the next time you want to slack off! They sacrifice more than you know it because there is no greater happiness for them than seeing you become successful! So, please stop disappointing them!!”
“Stop aiming for removals because you know you are way better than that! Are you in medical school just to pass and be average? You know you were meant to be better than you are now!”
“Always study to gain knowledge not just to pass examinations! Your patients care not for your grades but for the competence you gained by genuine and diligent study.”
“Know that there is a time for everything. A time for study, time for play and even time to sleep. You need to know what is more important. The more time you invest in study, the more time you will have for leisure during the holidays. See how your classmates are already hitting the beaches while you are stuck studying for removals? See my point?”
With much more to say, I decided it is time to wrap this up with important things I said earlier:
1. Truly, life is indeed the greatest teacher and probably the strictest one too as tests actually come before the lessons themselves.
2. Your teachers are there to nurture you and guide you on your journey to becoming a competent physician! Understand that they too have their own challenges in life but the mere fact they still make it to class is a testament of their commitment to your success! So, please respect your teachers!”
3. Yes, all medical subjects are inter-related. Treat all subjects equally.
4. In order to learn things properly you should set aside all emotions and biases. Learning has a strong emotional component.
5. Setting aside bias and realizing that each and every subject in medical school will have an impact on your competence to deliver patient care in the future will enable you to better absorb the information taught to you by the professors and text books!
6. Any time you waste now could mean a patient’s life in the future.
7. So, just because you didn’t study well your patients will have to suffer for it?? That is so unfair!
8. DO NOW WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE! Things that matter most should never come second to things that matter least!
9. Our parents sacrifice more than you know. They sacrifice more than you know it because there is no greater happiness for them than seeing you become successful! So, please stop disappointing them!!
10. Always study to gain knowledge not just to pass examinations! Your patients care not for your grades but for the competence you gained by genuine and diligent study.
11. Know that there is a time for everything. A time for study, time for play and even time to sleep. You need to know what is more important.
There are more things to say but I will leave that for my next post.
Thanks for reading.
Till next post – Doc France
