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My dear débutant,
I am glad. Not because you are leaving school, but because you are going to unfold a new chapter in life. Where you are standing now was once where I stood, filled with robust energy, high hopes and wild dreams that stretched further than the horizon. And here I am, in the middle of my medical education, writing to you an open letter regarding the life of a medical student. I am honoured. However, in the midst of 4th year medical journey, I realised that I am nothing but a papier-mâché figure, but I will try my best to share all the savoir-vivre with you, my dear débutant.
No one likes to hear bad news from a doctor, so let us start first with the joys of medicine. If you ask me “What are the joys of doing medicine?” a few years ago, I would reply you answers that are similar to your guidebook for medical interviews. From being respected by people to the satisfaction of helping patients, you might find them somewhat different than what is expected. After years gone by until you reach the time when it all become je ne sais quoi and that is when you actually discover the true meaning and happiness of medicine. You would realise by then the indefinable quality that makes medicine irresistible.
Coming from a traditional Chinese National school where strict discipline is enforced and the act of asking questions in the middle of teaching is seen as talking back to the teachers and is deemed a “lèse-majesté”, the learning environment of medical school is proved to be a huge culture shock for me. We have discussion-based tutorials, interactive case discussions, problem-based learning, online forums that are supposed to be engaging and et cetera. All of them requires you to speak. And you need to know how to speak. It is important to ask questions when in doubt and clarify things with your peers and tutors early. Be more “thick-faced” in answering questions and be humble to constructive criticisms. Afterall, at the end of the day, you need to speak clearly to your patients, negotiate your management with them and discuss all the issues with them.
Gone are the days of paternalistic doctor and we are welcoming the deliberative era at its dawn.
When you are in this field, you are not expected to be a reporter or a storyteller, but a raconteur. Know how to skilfully obtain a history from the patients, rearrange it and filter it, and then present it to your tutors. You are required to do the same thing as a houseman, so it is a good start to train yourself. Try to learn from the titans and pastiche their way of doing things, especially the skills in handling tough situations. Who knows, you might be the epitome of your field. On side note, there is a tutor who tells his students, “Don’t worry if your knowledge is not enough, you can still learn. Don’t worry if your skills are not good, you can still practice. It is very important for you to have a good heart, a big heart. That you cannot learn or practice.” I urge you to consider this when deciding to enter medical school.
My dear débutant, I hereby draw the curtains up and expose to you the side where the light does not touch. You must be prepared to deal with failure. Most of the medical students were the crème de la crème in their high school days, and therefore, there will be competition. Stress will pile up exponentially, so it is crucial to know how to destress. In my experience, like most of my friends, I too finally succumbed to ennui and despair. I had my down days when I lock myself in my own room, do not feel like seeing or talking to anyone. I was lost. What you can do is try to accept the situation and emotions. Understand they are part of what you are going through. And at this moment, your family, friends and even lecturers become important. Let them step in and do their magic. Be it the ayam pongteh from home or the boba tea bought by your housemate, they are the afternoon glaze to your gloomy winter. So be prepared! Be clear of your own raison d'être and it is ok to procrastinate once in a while.
Remember the vicissitudes is harsh but you are not.
Now, please do not get me wrong. You might be thinking that most of your seniors are always in their natural habitat, poorly groomed, heavy eye bags with lazy eyes, dull, zombie-liked facial expressions, reciting “Mais où sont les neiges d’antan (where are the flowers of yesteryears)”. That only happens when the due dates are near or when exam is around the corner. There are things that I learnt it the easy way and things that I learnt it the hard way. It does not matter which way it is, most importantly is that you learn. Do not say goodbye to negativity but reach an entente with them. They are the ones that reminds you of your strength and that you need some rest before you overwork your body. Life is an extended-length drama and people are the individual stories of their own genre. Some intersect, and some remain parallel. Remember that a protagonist of a story is an antagonist of the other story and vice versa. Do not be upset if things did not turn up as expected, especially relationships. Do not make a mess. Tidy them up and only keep those that sparks joy.
In the end, your days in medical school is the pièce de résistance of your life that you will never regret looking back.
My dear débutant, I wish you all the best and hope you become the person you always wanted to be.
Adrian Fong Jing Hong is a 4th year Medical Student from Monash University, Student Member of RCPSG and RCPE