Chapter 10 : Assets of a good Medical Student ( 3 )

14. Compassionate

A compassionate person is one who has a lot of empathy, not only sympathy, for others.  He or she is able to feel for other people and as a result, behave in a very caring and gentle manner to them. Imagine a doctor who is not compassionate. He will be very insensitive to the emotion of the patient to whom he has to break some bad news. Medicine is not only about facts and figures, but also about having good human relationship.

A grandson walked in and complained that his 90 year old grandmother was unable to see in both eyes and unable to recognize faces. The grandmother had come from 400 km away. A compassionate doctor immediately saw the patient without prior appointment and had the patient admitted and operated the next day. The patient was discharged after two days and was very happy that she was now able to lead a normal life again. Her facial expression also changed – from a stressful to a cheerful one.

15. Perseverance

For centuries, it is know that medicine us a field which is equivalent to running a marathon where you have to preserve your stamina throughout the year of studying. Not forgetting the possible hitches one may have in the exam. One has to persevere whatever the consequences of the exam is.

Losing six months of one’s lifetime to repeat an exam can be a daunting task for all students. Looking at the positive aspect, actually one will have the opportunity to study more of the subject which will make him or her better. In medicine, no knowledge is a waste. It will always be useful in one’s future  practice.

Hence, medical student need to persevere to ensure that they get through the academic hurdle every year. Without this, they will give up easily and later, ten years down the road, they will regret not persevering just for that short moment, which results in them losing the opportunity to be a doctor forever.

Failing an examination is not a failure but a delayed success.

16. Efficient

This means that whatever input that is put in will result in a good output. This is obtained by studying smart and not just studying hard.

17. High self esteem

Feeling inferior can be quite usual for a student who is faced with many unfamiliar subjects delivered by lecturers who are highly qualified academically including consultant clinicians. A high self-esteem will influence how one talks, asks and answers questions. It will influence the marks one obtains in the oral examination.

All medical students will acquire high self-esteem if they have confidence in themselves, which can be obtained by knowing that they have worked hard, acquired all the necessary academic knowledge and done all their assignments. There is no room for feeling inferior.

18. Dedicated

This will be obtained by having clear visions and missions of one’s life. It is a sense of leaving something in this world that will be useful to mankind once is no longer on this earth.

19. Commitment to life-long learning.

Continuous medical education is a part a program in hospital setting. It emphasizes that all doctors should continuously improve their skills. Hence, it is the attitude that needs to be nurtured in all medical students.  

(How to become a good & successful medical student; Muhaya Hj Mohamad)