End of May Reflections + Life in Medicine
June 1, 2007tic tac tic tac…..
vacation is close to its end….
and what did i accomplish so far?
the only trip i had this summer was to galera…weekly in mall of asia and alabang town center….
i suddenly turned into a mall rat….
but most of all….i transformed into an owl, my day starts at 11:00/12:00 pm and ends at most at 5:00 am…its as if I suddenly I became a CSR working on a graveyard shift…what i did with almost 3/4 of my vacation? surf….surf….and surf…the net…
at the start of this super long break i was determined to read harrison's….so ill be all geared up for the battle that begins on the 2nd week of june…but then laziness sets in….haha….
but i wouldn't say that nothing happened to me for 2 months…cause in reality, this was one of the most fruitful i ever had…
i grew….how i wish taller…haha..no… im still the same tiny, pequeno girl…but… GOD has always been faithful to His promises to me…. not only did the weekly trips to Baclaran, the candle-intentions for myself and for others help stabilize my spirituality…but He has been working within me eversince I started the Christian Life Program of CFC-Singles For Christ….travelling back and forth from laguna to ust and back every thursday was well worth it…
No i did not turn into a saint…there are a lot of things I have to work on….relationships….attitude…and stuff….my mind still turns upside down when trouble comes….but what this summer gifted me…is strength…and wisdom to rise above it all….all these, through the wonderful thursdays….
i hope i could cling on to this even when school starts….and that hazardous life in medicine resumes….
so…
i was really planning to post something intelligent, something worth reading…but i still ended up writing my emos…haha….sentigurl will always be sentigurl…still…i am in the mood to share my thoughts on the life I've chosen….
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Medicine Life
Whoever said medicine is hard must be out of his mind…..cause it is not just hard…its painfully, excruciatingly bone crushingly blood draining difficult.
We often joke about med students being living-martyrs….but its true.
All of us here are degree holders, most have titles with their names, R.N.s…P.T.R.Ps….I do not have one cause I graduated with a B.S. on Biology, therefore no other way but towards Med School. But I could have been a researcher right? a professor…Or a Med Rep. or even a Call center agent…the nurses of our class could have flown to greener pastures abroad, the Pharmacists have greater job opportunities in Canada….We could just put up a business and earn quick…We have a lot of other career options. But still we are all here…
We have different reasons why we chose this life, Some of us are here because their own parents are doctors, and they grow up wanting the same, Some are here because they were forced to, but most of them eventually embraced it. Some wanted to earn a lot, but in the long run realized that this is not anymore a money-making profession. Some just dream…Being a doctor was their childhood dream….I am one of those…and that dream never ceased…Different reasons we all may have but at a certain point we realize that the passion should be there, in order to survive all these things….
Becoming coffee addicts to stay awake everyday, just to be able to read through handouts, books, and even sometimes settle for samplexes(note: sample quizzes from previous batches) just to pass the short quizzes as hard as semestral exams in college. And long quizzes as tough as board exams….And the Semestral and Final Exams…arrgggh…but the Grand Finals exams…..end of the world!!!!(imagine cramming up all the lessons you took for one year! ) And who could escape compre?? 200 items which include all, and i mean all of the subjests you took for the school year….blurrrbbbb
Burning our stomachs with acid due to lack of food intake, because our spare time should be devoted to studying for the next quiz, the one hour lunch break becomes much much less cause the professor went in late and ended up late…so we have to squeeze our time to be able to eat and read at the same time.
And what’s worse is the after-exam-shock when you realize that not a single item from the quiz included what you studied for the whole night.
Invitation Cards would pile up your desk, text messages jam your cp’s inbox….from the college and highschool friends who opted simpler lives…parties, weddings, baptisms….yes, you would really feel left out knowing that your friends are living la vida loca…some are already building their own families…while you, are stuck with the only man you should care about, Katzung…for that 50 item essay on drugs…And then you are regarded as the snub, the alien, etcetera…for being so hopelessly devoted to Med.
The only consolation is that one fact that you are not alone in this cruel life… There’s your class, and the incredible subsection you are in…and together you would discover that Med life isn’t that bad.
Learning your patients’ conditions during History taking, being able to come up with differentials as to his/her diagnosis, feeling great because you learned from class somehow. Plus that unexplainable high in knowing that you are able to make someone feel cared about…
Physical Examinations could be nerve wrecking, handling a patient and groping him with only textbook knowledge at hand. But still seeing and hearing things from a real patient could be a really nice experience.
And the night outs/movie/food and laugh trips with your med friends could refresh and uplift your draining spirit….
But the worse is yet to come…there’s junior year coming up, clerkship year where you would be treated as the lowest form of animal, the dreaded oral and written revalida…internship…the boards…residency….fellowship….
People would often ask me how long would all these take? Honestly, I don’t know, we figured out medicine is an endless process of learning…All I am praying for is to be able to have that M.D on my name two years from now, and attain that license a year after….
Then they would ask us if we ever get tired? Personally, I do…but I’m already studying for 19 years of my life, And a few more…like 3,5,10…won’t hurt…because at this age of 22 I am where I wanted to be….and ageing while pursuing this career is the sweetest sacrifice anyone could ever make.
I know every single medical student would agree with me when I say that being a doctor is not just a profession, it’s a calling, a vocation. And seeing your would be-patient walking out from the hospital, on his own, with a smile pasted on his face is enough to heal your own weary body. Having the noblest profession of all, could make ever single sleepless night, penny spent, and tearful days… all worth it. Most of all, being blessed with an ability to heal, is the best gift one could ever receive from the Master Healer…the Lord our God.
