Message by Dr Sumer Sethi to New MBBS Students

Welcoming new fledglings to the medical fraternity

§  “You shouldn’t have come into this profession.”

§  “Oh damn, I should’ve gone for engineering.”

§  “I am studying for exams, while all my friends from other fields are partying… this is not fair.”

How many times do we hear these words? A lot of demoralizing talks stem from not only the media and seniors but it is going to come from you too. Hence, at the very beginning, I want to sit you down and reassure you that:

Yes, it is going to be a long and tedious journey but every bit of it will feel worth it in the end.

Medical profession cannot be valued by salaries and numbers and that is where it gets confusing. Every little smile or a mere “thank you” from patients enrich you. I promise you that there will come a time when you will look back and think: I am proud of what I have done and choosing medicine WAS the correct decision.

Mindset matters

Medical profession is a journey, but it is not about any destination. It is like swimming in the ocean, but you’re not swimming to reach the shore, you’re swimming to just be in the ocean and enjoy every moment, with the magnificent view and the beautiful water. Medicine is not an end point-oriented game. Instead, it’s a journey, massively rewarding one, full of knowledge and life touching events.

It is not school anymore where we fixate on getting things over with. “5 years of MBBS. 3 years of MD. 3 years of DM,” - these checkpoints are crucial but we should learn to look beyond it and sow the seed of a mindset that learning is going to be a constant companion. Even after 20 years of graduating, acquiring knowledge to update ourselves regularly will remain an integral part of life.

Medicine is not a movie that ends in 3 hours. It’s like a web-series that continue for seasons.

Balance the madness:

Learn to balance from the start itself!

No shortcut around studying: To be a great doctor, you need knowledge, empathy, and skills. But first, to build knowledge, we must study diligently and there is no way to escape it.

Relationships- Quality VS Quantity of time invested: Your dreams, studying and patients are going to take a significant chunk of your life, leaving behind only a morsel to spend with your loved ones. Hence, the quality of that bread crumb is going to matter a lot.

Both mental and physical health are important:  Refrain from indulging in short term dopamine rush with substances. Let us be responsible and help others instead of falling prey to substance abuse ourselves.

Choose standard books always:

Anatomy	BD Chaurasia Netter’s Atlas Cunningham’s dissector
Physiology	Guyton or Ganong AK Jain
Biochemistry	Harper Satyanarayan Vasudevan

 

NEXT & USMLE- explore your opportunities

“If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough.” - Don’t be scared of dreaming big. You may encounter people who will judge you for wanting soar high. But I believe there’s space in this world for every kind of person and just go for it. Dream high and soar high.

How DAMS can help: 1^st Year Tuition Classes on EMedicoz App

DAMS is a 21-year-old institution and has been helping medical students realise their dreams for the past 2 decades. For first year students, we recommend 1^st Year Tuition Classes. Demo videos are available on DAMS YouTube Channel.

Highlights of the course:

·       LIVE classes

·       Two way and interactive

·       Join classes in the late evening after college hours

·       One-and-a-half-hour discussion

·       Teaching of global standard

·       LIVE classes recorded for repeated reviews/ access anytime anywhere

·       Separate doubt solving sessions for crystal clear concepts

·       Regular class tests to check progress

Why this course:

To democratize medical education:

This course has been built to bridge the gap between A-grade med schools and peripheral colleges- so, now, you can graduate from anywhere in India and still be at par with the best medical schools. Whatever your future goals turn out to be, whether you want to go abroad or you want to study further in India, with strong foundation and basics, everything will seem within reach.

Avail a whopping 50% off 1^st Year Tuition Classes with coupon code: WELCOMEDOCTOR (valid till 28^th February, 2022)

Lay foundation for integration:

There are two types of integration -

Horizontal integration:

Correlation within same Prof. Example- correlation of cardiac anatomy with cardiac physiology.

Vertical Integration:

Correlation with other Profs. Example- cardiac anatomy/ physiology integrated with cardiac medicine.

In first year, you are aware of only one side of things but are oblivious to the relevant clinical knowledge which get revealed only during succeeding Profs.  Hence, you alone cannot start integrating from first year itself. This is where you need reliable mentors and teachers who can guide you accordingly. Examples of vertical integration:

§  the reason I am emphasizing on the anatomy of ankle ligaments because in final year you will see in MRI how a sprain affecting this structure looks like.

§  Why am I telling you about cruciate ligaments in the knee– it’s because later on, you will learn that its frequently torn in sportsmen.

New medical curriculum in India: Competency Based Medical Education (CBME)

This is a paradigm shift in the approach to medical education where horizontal and vertical integration will both be a key player. It seeks to ensure that students are able to develop the competency required for patient management. So, keep yourself abreast by integrating concepts from the very first year!

Endnote

There will be times when you will doubt yourself, your career choices and the weight of responsibilities, patient care, your dreams, your relationships might all seem too. But don’t let it wear you down. Remind yourself that you ARE stronger than you think. Look back and see how far you’ve come! Don’t forget that by studying MBBS, you’re already living the dream of millions of aspirants. When you feel demoralized or demotivated, always go back to the reason why you chose the field. It was the challenge that called out to you, so, don’t be scared to take it on now. All the best! 

Key Takeaways:

•   MBBS is a journey and ‘studies’ is your constant companion
• Learn to balance studies with love, life and laughs
• Studying standard books will give you an irrefutable edge
• Dream big or go home
• DAMS 1^st Year Tuition Classes will give standard teaching that will help build a strong foundation
• CBME is a new initiative that is based on integration of subjects
• Always look back to the past with gratitude and look forward with enthusiasm