Hey you , Doctor !

Being called Dr has been something equivalent to routine these days. I'm just a 2nd medical student yet been given the impression that I'm a Doctor. Your friends and relatives look up upon you as someone great and inspiring. It's true that being a doctor is glamorous and attract attention.This is the mindset of our community that children that excel in studies are supposed to be doctors.Children that become doctors become the pride of the family. Doctors are rich people.Perhaps , it's the perception of the society that creates this hyperbolic image that doctors are the be all and end all of life.

Well,I'm keeping my fingers crossed to someone currently pursuing the field , but medicine isn't as easy as you think. True, other professions are tough and challenging but i bet you can't find something more 'awesome' than medicine. I'm speaking this as an experience of someone in this line and hopefully will clear some doubts of you all out there. This sudden urge of writing something so factual rose as I engaged with a conversation with my dad before dinner...Actually I was also longing to write something like this....

Doctors of course are glamorous, striding the hospital with many pairs of eyes on them.However , lots of efforts had to be put in to be up there , sitting in his clinic looking at patients.Behind his success , there are lots of failures, perspiration and tears that no one ever knows.It's the sheer determination that brought then through , with all the *M.D. , M.R.C.P. or whatsoever as their title.It isn't easy being one , let alone maintaining your passion and life as work is almost never ending.On calls are perhaps the most basic thing one would know that a doctor will face in his work.But that's just a portion of it.Working under stressed conditions , or even when fatigue and moody emotions overthrow you...

OK, let's get back to the life of a medical student. I can say it sucks. Believe me , it sucks !Mind you ! Being a STPM scorer doesn't mean anything. Same goes to the rest. No matter how superior you were in matriculation or even secondary school , life of a medical student is standard. Slog through and graduate. Of course , some strive well enough to ensure top grades , while some others were left grumbling and licking their wounds. It's about pitting your wits against the hefty academic weeks.Your lecturers tick you off, consultants breathing fire down your throat are things that you will endure. Afterall, doctors that graduate are supposed to deal with people's life and that means safety.One of my facilitator told me this - most of you here wouldn't be very good doctors, but at least we hope that you all become safe doctors. Bearing this in mind , it would be rationale to think that grueling practical sessions and bedside teaching are actually very apt indeed.

To make things clear , let's see a general day as a pre-clinical medical student. (local uni , and I'm focusing on UKM of course.But local unis wont differ much)

8am - 10am : lectures ( 2 lectures for 1 hour each)
1030- 1230 : problem based learning / lab sessions / tutorial sessions
2pm - 4pm : small group discussions on Personal and Professional Development/ practical sessions at the hospital ( a.k.a clinical skills learning)

well...it looks short. aha , but there's a catch ! Lecture notes are things essential to study to pass the exam.But it takes more than that to be a good medical student! You need to refer to books , read up a few books and make a summary , or even take your own initiative to practice your clinical skills on your friends. Basically , an average student ( excluding geniuses that can practically at the eleventh hour) needs 5 hours to digest what was thought on that particular day.Don't expect every evening to be so joyful and relaxing that a walk in the park or frequenting malls to be something you look forward to.

For me , I used to be active in my life. I play music , chess , do sports and read during my free time.However , 'free time' seems so far from me once i stepped into medical school.Academics inevitably replaced it.Don't take is so seriously that there is scarcely time for other activities.That also depends on what kind of student you would like to be. A nerd bookworm or an active learner that still studies most of the time wouldn't have time for others. I still do lots of stuff besides medical things ( student associations, internet...) . Believe me, my results aren't those of a brilliant student.People say , you know,just enough to survive...

To sum it up , unless you are willing to sacrifice , think twice about enrolling as a medical student.Don't create shit for yourself.




*MD = medical doctor degree , MRCP = member of royal college of physicians

yikping
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