It's actually been a month since vacation started.
I was waiting for the grades to come out before I write an entry to.. you know, not hex it. But it's actually been days since the full grades were out and I was way too busy being unproductive. (ಠ⌣ಠ)
2 weeks after the last school day, I attended a 3 day Basic Life Support/First Aid Training. This was a requirement for 2nd year and to be honest I didn't really want to attend because duh, SUMMER. But long story short, I'm glad I went. I learned how to perform CPR, the Heimlich Maneuver, bandaging, transferring patients, dealing with burns, cuts, bleeding and a lot more. There were written exams and practicals but it was grade school easy, nothing you can't handle. We also had a (pretend) mass casualty on the last day and I was assigned a victim, so all I had to do was lie on the floor with my fake intestines out while I bleed uncontrollably and wait for rescue. It was really fun, almost like a team building seminar. Then at the end of every day it always gets me saying "this is what I want to learn". You know, the actual stuff. What they do, what doctors do, when in an emergency situation.
My school year in a nutshell has been crazy. If you have read my previous med school posts then you probably have an idea how intense it has been. First year was tough. I had to deal not only with so much reading and learning but I also had to manage my sanity. As what my sister (who is now a consultant) once said, medicine is not just about IQ but also EQ. I had a lot of ups and downs during my first year and my grades barely even cut for second year. You know that feeling when you were young, when you thought you were really special and on top of your class most of the time? Well here I was pretty average. Everyone was smart, cool and #goals and it just hurts your self esteem knowing people are excelling and you're just there, stuck in the mud and hardly even moving. I had a REALLY hard time adjusting. I'm sure everyone did, some were just good at hiding it. But came second trimester and I learned to pick myself up and strive for a better me. It wasn't the *boom* "change has come" kind of moment, rather it was a slow but sure one. After all, a little progress is still a progress. By the end of my 1st year, I got used to being a student again and I think I've finally adjusted. So first year, people say it's when you learn all the normal stuff - Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry. I learned way more than just that and I could confidently say that I grew as a person.
Good job, Ahj! We'll get that MD in no time! 👊
---
For all those who are still unsure of whether to pursue medicine or not, you better stop and ask yourself if you're ready to risk a lot of things. It takes a really strong desire to finish and faith in yourself would cover most of it. I too had a lot of times I've thought of quitting and for multiple reasons too, but it has never come to a point of wanting to leave. I do get envious of non med people because they're currently living the life. I do want to be independent again, get a job and earn my own money instead of asking from my parents. I want to travel the world, go on a shopping spree, eat good food with good company and be careless too. But I also want to save lives. I want to stop the pain some are suffering from. I want to learn about the wonders of the human body. I want my parents to be proud of me. And I really want to wear a doctor's coat. *wink*
No comments:
Post a Comment