Written in Arabic By:
Abdullah Al-ali
5th year student, Glory batch- 5th batch/2017-2023
Translated by: Dr. M.A. Awwad
Studying medicine is a dream of lots of people, I was one of them. My dream turned into a reality after God blessed me to enroll Yarmouk University in Jordan to study in its medical school.
When we talk about an experience of a medical student, I shouldn't ignore this common question that every medical student encounter in any gathering wherever it is and whatever the occasion is: Did studying medicine affect your life? and how?
Before answering this question, I'll talk from my humble experience as a medical student about medicine. Medicine is one of the most interesting and complicated things that you could experience. Interesting in that you enjoy understanding minute fascinating and amazing things that happen in your own body at all levels, that you'll never get your mind busy with if you don't study medicine. This body is highly sophisticated in all missions that each of its structures do. So I think this is how it is interesting, enjoyable and complex.
Now I'll go back to the question I always face when I meet people.The question about the effect of studying medicine on my life. The first answer that comes to my mind is TENSION, Yes, tension become your friend that accompanies you all the time, Why?
Because as a medical student you have to get tons of information in a short period of time. These information are inte-related and accumulative. and you have to get all of them understood and sometimes memorized or at least present in mind once you need them. The basic sciences part of medicine is huge and the clinical part is not in any way less huge. You have to challenge yourself to understand yourself.
If you want to rely on the idea of time mangement, Oh my god, it is not easy. whatever you do, time is always ahead of you. the books are never ending, the diseases and their symptoms are with no limits and the questions are endless too.
If you take rest, you'll get late. If you want to stop, your conscience will hurt you badly.
So you can lierally say 'Medicine becomes your own life'.
Now i'll leave clear cut points as a person who spent just few years in this field:
1- Medicine is not like any other branch of science, medicine is a way of life. Time will confirm that to you sooner or later.
2- If you want to be a doctor, The doctor has to remember that he is a human dealing with humans, if he deals with his job as a source of more money, then he'll be a greedy person who exchanges the pains of patients into money in his bank account. Be human.
3- The patient's body is not a dummy that you test your knowledge with, He is a human being like you.
4- If you felt bored of too much studying, remember that patients are not only bored of their diseases but they are also in pain. you'll be their hope. so be patient, then their smiles will let you forget all of your tiredness and boredom.
5- Medicine is like an inter-related structure. you have to be sure it is all strong. If you ignored some columns the structure will fall down. you won't be reliable anymore.
6- You can't learn medicine just by theory. Apply your knowledge, For example, Anatomy knowledge has to be applied in the anatomy lab. The internal medicine lecture will be just words if not seen and applied in internal medicine ward in the hospital, etc.
7- Our doctors used to say (In Medicine, Common thing is common), So you have to study the (Common) first when you prepare yourself to any exam.
8- Many students miss their lectures to study at home. It's not a good idea, In the lecture the doctor teaches us the most important points and what we have to understand first to build on it and to relate this to other information with examples from the true life, a thing that you will not read in the book. So please rearrange your priorities.
9- Studying in groups especially with a group of colleauges you like is fun and benificial, but unify your break times, so you won't end in a whole session of continuous breaks.This is a personal experience.
10- Don't think about post graduate future while you are still a medical student. Just enjoy your time as a student and enjoy getting new information.
11- It is believed or let's say (misbelieved) that the doctor is imprisoned by his lab-coat and that being socially isolated is his fate. No, this is wrong. In my opinion the doctor has to leave some margin to his social life, that makes him accessible to the society. Be social as much as you can but don't oversocialize at the expense of your responsibilities. Be balanced.
12- They say: " The doctor has to be a good listener", Yeaaa , They will come desperate to tell you the story of their illness, please listen to them, they need that.
13- It is benificial to listen to your seniors about their experiences, but in no way what they say is for granted. This is their experience with their own circumstances. You have to have your own experiences and to have your own choices in your life.
14- Last point: Medicine is a life long lesson. So every time you feel your energy is down, you have to refresh your intention , recharge your power and fly higher in the sky of science.
My colleague the doctor-to-be , please don't forget the meaning of that verse in the holy Quran when Allah says: " and whoever saves a life, it would be as though he saved the lives of all humans".