Remember a post I wrote a long time ago about
How to Induce Menstruation? When I checked my blog stats recently, I realized that it had the highest number of independent hits (ie. people who googled the subject and were directed to that entry specifically). I guess people do appreciate useful information! :p So, in light of many recent happening, I was inspired to come up with my own 10 things I wish I knew before entering medical school. Maybe aspiring medics who google the subject before their interview will somehow come across it! :p
Disclaimer: These following comments are my own personal opinions only and do not necessarily reflect the positions or opinions of YLLSoM, her students or affiliates. All comments are based upon my current knowledge and my own personal experiences.
#1 “Not everyone in medical school is a genius” (oops) – a church friend of mine who is now in M1 now recently expressed his concern at the upcoming CA1. When I told him to
chillax, he told me that “
The seniors say that most people get 80-90% for CA1!” and was very worried. I entered medical school with great trepidation at being amongst little Einsteins. This translated to a lot of unnecessary worry and excessive studying. I later realized that my peers were really just normal human beings (save for the exceptional few) who also actually needed to study hard to get good grades! So really, no need to be too freaked out. (PS: I later corrected my church friend and told him that many people get 100%).
#2 “Play like mad in M1” – One of my greatest regrets (still is) is studying too much in M1. Seriously. I made notes for every single lecture, revised like one million times, camped in the library from 8am to 10pm, but never made it to the Dean’s List -_-. Gave up and slacked off in year 2, which wasn’t the best idea in light of Microbiology :/ So friends, please use your M1 wisely. Join a CCA! Get into organizing committees! Stay in hall! Do fun and stupid and time consuming things that you’ll never get to do again! I guess my saving grace is that I was involved in Freshmen Orientation, which was pretty fun (:
#3 “Being a good student does not necessarily mean full attendance at lectures and tutorials” - Now before the Dean’s Office comes after me, I’d qualify and say that the definition of a good medical student extends beyond that - it means doing everything you can to make sure that you become the best doctor that you ever can. It
may include attending all lectures and tutorials, but also time to self-study, rest and relax instead of going to a lecture and falling asleep and/or be disruptive and distracted. Fine line there, admittedly.
#4 "Take cross-faculty modules" – To my utmost disappointment, I only discovered the possibility of this in year 3. While other NUS students fret over credits and bidding just before the start of a new term, we medical students have nothing to worry about, since our curriculum is set in stone for us. But did you know that we actually have the liberty to bid for modules in other faculties that don’t require credits? (we don’t have any credits) Things like foreign languages (ie. Malay, French) and possibly many more exciting modules. Take these up in M1 and M2, when you are still based in NUS and it’s much easier to get to class and fits your schedule much better. A caveat is that you must be amongst the top 50% of the cohort to successfully apply through the Dean’s Office.
#5 “Don’t use school as an excuse not to meet other friends” – People in medicine have this bad habit of using medical school as an excuse for being busy, or having to study. That only bodes the death of your social life. Your friends in other faculties have projects, presentations, midterms, reports, quizzes and final papers. We, on the other hand, have one Professional Examination at the end of the year? And maybe a handful of CAs or the occasional write up. Get rid of the notion that medicine kills your social life!
#6 “Treasure your time in medical school, don’t accelerate it” – At this stage of my medical training, I have seen Housemen/Resident float around like zombies nearing the end of their 36-hour call, and doctors who are cranky because of the crap load of paper work that awaits them. As medical students, we call our own shots. We can self-declare holidays, go home at 10am (O&G FTW!) and hang around in the lounge or go for a Mr Bean break at any time of the day. This freedom is for ours to have, so treasure it! The Student Internship Program (SIP) in M5 truncates this freedom of ours for a few months, where we function like real doctors and do real doctor stuff. Some of my friends choose to structure their M4 electives in the form of the M5 SIP style, which is great if you want to really experience what it is like to function within a particular department as a doctor (Like my friend Fred, who is a workaholic and finds it fun). Otherwise, there is little reason to give up precious student-ship time that exists only now in relation to a lifetime of work!
#7 “Pace yourself” – People come into medical school in hope of completing it, without realizing that school is not the end. It is not about getting 100% in CA1 or finding a place in the Dean’s List. There is a destination to reach, one that goes far beyond M5, or Housemanship. Medicine is a lifelong journey. And with all journeys, there is a need to pace yourself, at a speed that you are comfortable at - not one that makes you burn out too early, or lag behind too far. Be sensitive to yourself - the moment you feel like you’re burning out, take a break and eat some kinder bueno. Life is much happier this way. (:
#8 “Remember your M1 self” – Even before getting into medical school, I sought advice from many people. What I remember the most was the many taunts and prophecies that I would always just be a part of the system, that change is difficult and that the ideals that I hold to will always remain as ideals. I think after 5 years of being at the bearing brunt of angsty doctors who serve to tear apart your ideals of how medicine should be practiced, it’s not difficult to become just another one. That is why I appreciate that along the way, I’ve met doctors who have been on the interview panel, and remind us to hold on dearly to the ideals that we proclaimed before our interviewers. Want to save the world? Go ahead!
#9 “Consider all aspects of medicine” – As I look back on the way I studied medicine over the past 3.5 years, I can’t help but feel a sense of narrow mindedness. All this while, studying medicine to me was…just studying medicine! Nothing more. In retrospect, I wish I had considered the multi-faceted nature of the subject. In studying the cell at the biochemical level, I could have considered issues surrounding the origins of life. In going through my Medicine and Geriatric posting, end of life issues would have been an interesting topic for discussion. Obstetrics and Gynaecology had me tangled up in abortion and antenatal testing. Psychiatry? How should we, and do we treat the “mad, bad and sad”? Is pharmacology the only means to an end? What about alternative medicines? In 3.5 years, I have studied the medical aspect of medicine, nothing more.
#10 “Love medicine, but love people more” - Confusius said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”. Certainly no greater joy to love medicine, and a privilege to dedicate your whole life to its cause. But having said that, danger lies in loving the subject, but not the heart of the profession. Every patient has a name. We must always remember to love the person behind each drug dosage and each X-ray film. After all, we are called to cure sometimes, relieve often and to comfort always. (:
