Heba Salim IsmailWhen the medical student is the ugly ducklingIt is not true to say every medical student who wants to be a doctor is built with the inner strength to become one. That is to overcome the obstacles in order to reach this goal. It is also not true, however, to say that one cannot learn to establish this inner strength and build upon it. Some students pass through with flying colors, others stay back in lassitude. In other words, some students are lucky, some are not. The latter are the students who find medical school a burden and who fill their days with anxiety hence the outcome is, not surprisingly, failure. However this failure was not intended. They strive to succeed to become a good doctor but either dont know how to or they are following the path that does not work for them no matter how hard they try. The student becomes apprehensive and loses control. In fact their courage and self-esteem is squished with every mistake they stumble upon. I am not stating that the medical students who excel dont work hard, infact you cant go through anything without hard work. I am talking about the students that have abilities but fail to use them because they feel they are nonexistent; the students who are emotionally weak; the students that lack motivation; the students that feel they are not good enough; the ones that quit because of physical and mental fatigue; the ones who encounter the constant nagging in the head to do well rather than going ahead and doing it ; the comparisons such that the sister, brother or the parent has excelled so why not you; the marathon of thoughts while trying to sleep on how to make the next day more productive ; And the students who asks oneself should I quit medicine? I am talking about the student who thinks they are in it alone but desire to have someone who understands them or who has the same issues and maybe dealt with and overcame them. Not necessarily in the same place but from anywhere around the world, someone who could be of support. This may seem like putting two people together that are of the same level and thus will not make you a better student. Think of it in the lines of relieving stress, thoughts and concerns to the person who actually can relate to what you are going through. Surely it is better than stuffing your head with thoughts and storing them unnecessarily for a rainy day. Usually other students, faculty and family members tend to go on with their lives focusing on getting work done and not realizing that not all medical students are perfect , and need more attention than just to say to them to go and study. They assume that the ones who are getting through medical school with repeated complicatedness tend to be labeled as the lazy and the careless and should change their choice of profession. That is not true, they just havent found out the way to deal with issues and the methods that work for them. The student is working no doubt yet no or little outcome is achieved. However, we mustnt ignore this outcome however small and should not be taken as negativity but rather a minor gain. Ultimately this will sum up and hence we start to notice a degree of accomplishment. At the end of the day, it is a gain. This cannot be solved since the student lacks the foundation for support. Not the support from others, but from thyself.

There is an I in brain, so we need to learn to use it. If you constantly remind yourself that you are weak and you will never get through medicine then surely the frontal cortex will listen to you. But it was the amygdala talking. Our brain is a magnificent organ. It can behave how we want it to if we can learn to control it. The difficulty to stay focused and remain on your path without constant reminders is difficult. So be positive and declutter your mind, setting it to its goal. This not only helps to maintain your focus but you will start to feel better instantly. Staying away from negative surroundings, and people, is a huge part of getting through medical school. There is always that person who you will look up to and idolize. Could be in any year, could be a graduate, but the important thing is you admire them, longing to be them. You want to be good of course, but you should ask yourself how good is good? The point to keep in mind and familiarize yourself with is that you can be like them but not be them. We are all born different and our qualities dont match however similar we are to one another. We can merely say I would like to be as good as that student because Moreover, once youve identified the main reason you admire them then you have a goal in mind. This is a huge step. Identify your limits and your strengths and build your roadmap from there. More importantly, dont take failure as a downfall. Take it as a slap-in-the-face and a reminder you got something wrong today so keep trying and never make this mistake again. So it can be seen that it is quite a difficult issue to discuss because to some it may not make any sense (maybe because their downfalls dont make a huge impact on them). But for others it may well be exactly how they feel. This issue tends to go unnoticed because students do not like talking about this, naturally. But for now what is to be taken from this is to know you are not alone and it is okay to feel that some days you are strong, others you are as weak as nothing. If you are a medical student who feels like you are fighting through your years, keep fighting and believe in your abilities. Confide in someone who had experienced what you are going through. Even your faculty could be of great help- dont forget they were once students too. Do not stress on your limitations. Build upon your strengths and you will indefinitely feel the value of your accomplishment when you succeed. Ultimately you will turn into a beautiful swan!.

i wrote this article on the basis of experience and as a medical student , i know how difficult medical school can be for those students who havent established a good foundation of coping during their years. i hope it can be of anyones interest and can relate to even the slightest.