Just My Two Cents: Med School- Here I come!

Dating back to my childhood years, I was used to seeing medical-related stuff such as stethoscope, sphygmomanometers, thermometers, etc. inside our house primarily because two of my cousins who were living with us at that time were practicing nurses. I never expected to end up in the same profession.

To be honest, being a nurse was never my dream job. (Well, at least not in its entirety). During my 4^th year in high school, my mind was throbbing from confusion on what path I should take in college. My parents and other people around me suggested that I should take up Nursing as this career path could lead to greener pastures. After much deliberation, I finally decided to take the course that they were suggesting. Besides, the fact that I excel in subjects (for instance, Biology) that require students to have good memory skills made the choice easier. In addition, my dislike for mind-boggling mathematical equations narrowed my field of choices. Courses such as Engineering, Accountancy and the like never held my interest. I believe that my aptitude paralleled the degree that I decided to undertake five years ago.

The year 2010 signaled the end of my four-year stay at Angeles University Foundation. It was really a tough ride that eventually ended up pretty well. I can still recall those times when I almost succumbed to the temptation of giving up because, as we all know Nursing is indeed a difficult course. You have to give up almost half of your social life in order to complete the degree. And the most important physiologic need that generally all of us enjoy – sleep – is often compromised. Fortunately, with me having the supreme perseverance and a driven spirit to achieve to the highest level, I made it and even graduated with honors. From the time I entered college, I never thought I would do so well. Call me a dreamer with no laudable goal in life, but I really didn’t see myself capable enough to achieve such distinction.

Right after graduation, I forced myself again to resume the constant pressure of studying as the July NLE was fast approaching. With barely enough time to review, I struggled through myriad concepts pertaining to different fields of my profession. It was pretty hard because I found it very difficult to cram more info to my already overloaded brain cells. But once again, by God’s grace, my hard work paid off. Not only did I pass the exams, I was also able to achieve 14^th place among thousands of NLE takers. In the beginning, the most important part was for me to just qualify to be a registered nurse and to be a topnotcher would be the icing on the cake.

A few months after officially becoming a registered nurse, I applied to Mother Teresa of Calcutta Medical Center (MTCMC) as a volunteer nurse. The experience that I gained there was absolutely without comparison. I was able to fully apply and practice all the nursing theories that I learned in my 4-year stay at the academe. Actually, we had already been given the chance to gain similar experience during our internship but the opportunity that I had at MTCMC was far beyond my expectations. I was able to perform nursing interventions all in my own power and control i.e. without the aid and supervision of a Clinical Instructor. My exposure in the clinical setting has led me to a greater appreciation of what my profession really is all about - CARING.

However, after almost five months of volunteering, I suddenly realized that I wanted to pursue my greatest and wildest dream - to be a medical doctor. I no longer want to restrict myself to being a nurse. I can't any more imagine myself taking orders or performing mundane tasks such as charting and monitoring vital signs. I figured that if I eventually pursued medicine I would have greater satisfaction as well as prestige and a decent salary - which should be at par with the pay of a nurse abroad if I work really hard.

Everybody knows that Medicine is not a walk in the park. It requires students to maximize their potential to be able to overcome whatever challenges the course entails. After all, it is the lives of patients at stake.

Time and money are also factors to consider. Although my parents have expressed their support when I told them about my decision, I felt the dread and worry in their voices. Medicine is neither an easy nor an inexpensive endeavor.

It is not unusual for a med student to see his former classmates building careers and doing "fun stuff" while he himself is still at school, examining cadavers and enduring 36-hour duty. Furthermore, since studying Medicine would require a great deal of focus, money-making opportunities would be limited which means a 20 something year-old still having to rely on his parents' financial support - maybe even after he graduates until he is able to start to build his medical career by age 30.

Although it took me a while to finally decide to pursue Medicine, I guess the time has been well devoted. At this stage, I feel this is my life's calling. I am aware that there will be hills and mountains to climb but I am sure when I reach the top, the view will be awesome!