I have so much to tell you about my community service! I learnt a lot from the whole experience: both my colleagues and members of the community to whom we administered our research questionnaires to taught me so much about people in general.

A normal day in med. school is to wake up early in the morning, get ready, dress up and march to class before the first lecture, usually at 7:30 am, begins. The lecture hall will be filled with brainy ladies and gentlemen clad in official attire, looking professional as they should be. However, this community service gave me the opportunity of seeing them live like everyday people. Just like other young people like you, they love to watch movies and series, play video games, or just sleep to their hearts’ content. This period provided us with the opportunity to stay away from the books for a while, get to know one another on a more personal level and have more time for some hobbies we had to abandon due to the usual rigorous studies. Well, mine was writing.

I also got to talk to some people for the first time. I was amazed at how nice they were since they didn’t look that friendly to me during regular school hours. I think the whole professional look sometimes makes us look older than our actual ages. Therefore, we are seen as more respectable and more mature than our age mates studying other courses. Unfortunately, this whole mature look makes us look less approachable to the normal person too.

Indeed, we are more than medical students. There was a display of talents by some of my colleagues. When I heard someone sing for the first time, I wondered why he was in medical school. With further voice training and a good management team, I think he would have been great! There was another talent discovery in catering. Everyone agreed that her cooking is top-notch and, that she possesses good leadership skills. Her resourcefulness, creativity and managerial skills would make her a highly successful caterer…I really hope she ventures into that area after medical school.

Of course, there would always be friction. We are not the same, each of us has a unique personality, mindset, likes and dislikes, and experiences which have shaped us into the wonderful individuals that we are. Amid the little frictions, we still came together to enjoy our community service. Some were resolved, and a few are yet to be. But you can’t blame us, after all, we too are everyday people, just like everyone else.

Signed, Richeal.

P.S. Kindly support Med. Sch. Times by following and subscribing for more scoop into med. school life, even if you’re not a med. student. This blog isn’t for med. students alone, it’s for everyone, including you. Very little about med. school is known, and so I have decided to bridge that knowledge gap. Plus, the lessons from my med. school journey is applicable in other fields and aspects of life too. Thanks a lot for your support!

https://medium.com/@MedSchTimes/med-students-are-also-everyday-people-d0684573f7d

Medicine is a trade built on respect for your teachers, who have a rich stock of experience and knowledge of the field earned through years of practice. It is widely known, especially in my part of the world, that this respect is an essential element of a relationship any med. student would like to have with a Medical Doctor, especially a consultant or Professor.

Sometimes, this respect could be disadvantageous, in the sense that, it could diminish any amount of confidence a lower-ranking health professional may have to dispute or challenge any knowledge that comes from the high-ranking ones. As a med. student, the medical fraternity sees you as too clueless to challenge anyone and so it is usually safer to be silent, whenever your inner debater is forcing to rear its head.

I am in no way accusing anyone of suppressing others, I simply want to point it out that sometimes, the humility infused into the medical training, especially towards high-ranking Doctors (HRDs, my own acronym for them), can be detrimental. Even if there is a free chance, with no strings attached to challenge the ideas of HRDs, very few to none may take that chance.

Hey, Professors, consultants, specialists… are not scary. In fact, I am yet to meet one of these folks who is not approachable and ever ready to help a med. student. In fact, they are the best sources of medical knowledge due to their many years of experience and continued learning through research and attending medical conferences.

However, my point is, never be afraid to question any knowledge you receive, whether from a lecturer or any Medical Doctor. You need to build that confidence right from med. school so that it becomes a part of you. Do not be a student who just imbibes anything and everything. Learn to verify information from the best sources and find the latest knowledge as you study medicine. Each day passes with numerous medical journals being uploaded on the internet and the newest information keeps replacing the old every second! Therefore, do not stick to only the words of your lecturer or supervisor, else you may be missing a lot.

Excellent students would always go beyond lecture notes and so it is not surprising that they are always rich in knowledge, making them appear to know everything. Your lecturers cannot know everything, and they may not always be right. Thank GOD for the internet but use it wisely.

Signed, Richeal.