Source: msg.med.upenn.edu
My first day of medical education officially started in Anatomy Dissection Hall at Manipal, India five years ago. We were wearing crisp new white lab coats, surrounding a lifeless body covered with cloth on a metal table. The hall was cold, with the pungent smell of formalin that filled our nose, which made our eyes water. So this is it, I told myself.
And I reckon you have seen groups of young students walking, carrying books, notes and all sorts of equipment with them in the hospitals, meekly greeting you very early in the morning, asking if they can interview you, to ask about your disease. Some patients might hesitate and refuse so the students go from bed to bed, wandering around the ward searching for a good case with clinical findings to be discussed later.
All this for one aim; to become a doctor. Aspiring doctors. That is who I am. The same goes for all medical students out there. However, our goal does not stop there. Not only are we learning about human anatomy, diseases and everything else in those thick encyclopedia-like textbooks, we would also like to contribute to the society, to be heard, to make changes. However, to what extent are we allowed to do this, by only being medical students?
Few years ago the approach may be limited; in the sense that we were only able to reach patients when we talked to them in the hospitals, organizing awareness campaigns and health camps. But being the new generation in this technological era, windows of opportunity widen because connecting with the society occurs at a whole new different level. It is all at our fingertips! We have the social media, applications on our gadgets that feed us information around the clock. So when the Malaysian Medical Gazette (MMG) announced that they were looking for medical students to join their Young Columnists Program, a group of enthusiastic medical students from Malaysia, scattered across the globe, got together and started the project, mentored by Dr. Khoo Yoong Khean.
Currently we have 13 members. The team is led by Faiz Rashdi, a 6th year student in Melbourne University and two editors, Ayesyah Abdullah and Nitajul Ulfah, from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Mansoura University respectively. Faiz believes that health care providers are lacking in areas like patient education due to time and mental constraint as well as language barriers. Ameerul Aiman, from Ain Shams University of Cairo agrees with this and believes that MMG is certainly different compared to any international publications because it elaborates health issues in a friendly and understandable manner. It gives insights on the local health settings and public education which play an important role in disease prevention amongst the society.
Apart from aspiring to become competent doctors, the members are ardent writers by passion, using this program as a platform to sharpen their writing skills. Indeed, we are still finding our place in the community; what better way to do this than to be trained by the finest doctors in our nation? We plan to pencil our way into readers’ heart and try to make a difference with our words. Elegantly put, words are as influential as wealth and fame.
Importantly, we also believe in holistic approach upon development of future doctors. My fellow colleagues D’Dyanna Lajamin from Kursk, Russia and Atiqah Dahalan from Jordan, share the same sentiments, “Despite our training requiring us to use more of our head than our heart, I am writing to call upon our fellow medical students to use our heart just as much as we use our head. Being a doctor for me is not just about reaching the diagnosis and treating the disease, on the contrary, it’s about being compassionate towards another human being, and this process should start as early as the first day you set foot in your clinical practice.”
Shaping oneself to be benevolent towards the profession requires a lot of skills. One needs to possess the qualities of perseverance, empathy, compassion, and listening skills as medicine is not just theoretical knowledge, as Hippocrates puts it, “Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanity. ”
Distinctively, young minds have their own way in viewing things and have different outlook. They are always eager to find simpler methods at sync with the advancement of medical revolution. We are the apprentices, the future healthcare providers cum columnists, the ones who will be treating you and your family in due time. So hear us, listen to what we have to say, or in this case, read; because you are learning from us as we are learning from you.
Anis Nabillah is a final year medical student at the Melaka Manipal Medical College, Malaysia.
Well done! Great to see such passion. Very well written. All the best.
I really think this is a great idea injecting young blood into our system- for the public, and especially working doctors. It’s a good reality check after years of working. The working environment changes you: hospital admin doesnt treat you well, your HOD hates you, patients are mean to you, and list goes on. Hopefully by reading your articles, it’ll bring back some good insight on why we join medical in first place & inspire us to continue providing good service, minus the burnout.
Amazing!!!! Good Job!! YCP!!!
Love your post. Very excited to read and well written. =)
What a great program! Inspires me so much to become a doctor. I’m currently 16 and I wish someday I’ll be able to join this kind of program and inspire others. Can’t wait to experience the hardships that medical students go through. Wish me luck!