But Medicine is Lifer

Getting into medicine is one thing, but staying and thriving in the program is another. The difficulty of this course can not be overemphasized. One who has a low frustration level will not tolerate the voluminous and comprehensive amount of information to learn and memorize. Patience and industry (from an ordinary medical student point of view) is required to stay alive in the program. Every single day your stamina is tested.

As a student from a lower socio-economic background, balancing finances and studying for all these exams are equally challenging. Needless to say, excruciating pain and cries (in the literal sense) has enveloped my core. In spite of these, I am drawing energy from Divine Providence. My strong connection to a Spiritual Being is not an understatement.

In the school that I am enrolled in, our first year grading system is extensively dependent on term examinations. Majority of our subjects does not give any quizzes nor other source of point system to pull us forward. You have to get a high score from the exam alone or else you are out of the passing level. This is an excellent exemplification of summative learning assessment. The downside of this method is, if you are ill/ diseased during the period of exams or you are troubled during the day of exam; then expect a lower score despite preparing well for all these exams. A better way to gauge learning is by dividing the syllabus per chapter and giving quizzes, pre-test, post-test, unit exams in the form of essay, multiple choice, identification, matching type and objective type questions. This is formative assessment. External factors such as status of the test-taker, environmental, conditional and other intervening variables is controlled; thus a more accurate way of scoring. This type of assessment will truly reflect the level of understanding of the student.

Before entering medical school, I was once a teacher. I thought Pharmacy students for 3 years and I really sympathize with all our teachers. Teachers are the best examples of OVERWORKED, UNDERPAID.  I have experienced first-hand how it is to extend your work not only on the confines of the class room but even at home. Student-teacher ratio in our country is insanely unmanageable. Lack of facilities and other resources are also a problem. The whole educational system can be partly blamed for these.

Although our faculty members are of high-caliber, renowned and respected in their own fields, teaching is a skill. Being intelligent academically does not always translate to being a competent instructor. Our instructor in order to keep abreast with the current trends and standard should attend seminars and training on how to effectively deliver the lessons in a way that is interesting, understandable and comprehensive. Proper test questions construction should also be included in this training to maintain integrity; and also assess what essential medical concepts should be tested. Asking the right question in the right format in a grammatically sound manner is a good way to start. Testing students based on their understanding of the material in a systematic manner will give better assessment and perhaps, score results.

Majority of our study period is self-learning. This is a good thing; but would it be better if faculty members can enhance and complement our self-efforts. Being independent/ self-reliant has always been a virtuous act but a little more support from instructors would edify our knowledge and competency. It will bring out the best of our potentials in honor of excellence.

I am still the captain of my ship. Despite all things that happened and may happen or whatever the system is, however the system works, I am still responsible for my own success and failure. I am the author of my life (God is our co-author). God has brought life in our bodies, and it is therefore our responsibility to take care of it and to achieve the best we can. It is imperative that we do not trade our dignity over grade, not trade our values over money nor our self-worth over popularity. It is what God has taught His people to remain humble in all the glory a human possesses.

As a future healer, compassion and competency is our life-long commitment. Learning never ceases, there is no shortcut to success and above all everything that is worth it comes with a price. The price we pay is so great but the reward from healing people is worthier and more novel than anything the World can offer. There is no old testament (nor cheating for the sake of passing) in medicine. There is no patient a healer can diagnose by cheating. So it is in honesty that we win the hearts of our patients. Together with other virtues and morals, you, me and we can be a good physician someday (by the Grace of God).