|
Coping
With The Demands of Medical Training
Medical
education can be a stressful experience.
For some, the academics seem gargantuan,
for others the costs are stifling. But the
most disconcerting feedback is the feedback
that is centered around a depression and
anxiety over the kind of climate in which
health care is practiced in today's society.
It is hard to find a joyous service-oriented
practice in hospitals. So often it appears
that economics and management come before
patient care. Competition seems to be more
the style than cooperation among health
professionals.
This guide is created for the medical student
who wishes a thrilling, joyous, heartfelt medical
education in exuberant anticipation of a life
in service to humankind. Inherent in helping others
is an intoxication of self-satisfaction in a garland
of intimacy. The keys here are to assert your
own motivation and to respect your wisdom... indeed
to be bathed in the self-confidence that you can
make your life a delightful adventure. We offer
a few suggestions here to make your education
a highlight of your life. Please share your feedback,
suggestions, and dialogue with us and your contemporaries
in creating a medical celebration.
- Don't wait until you are on the wards to
practice and develop your interviewing skills...
start now! Interview everyone with as great
a depth as you dare. Medicine's fundamental
thrill is intimacy. Find that kind of demeanor
in yourself that delights others so they tell
you their tales Be ecstatic for the gift that
people give you in love, trust and intimacy.
Find a way to let this journey together stimulate
you and fill you with the excitement of a new
friend.
- As you explore the glorious mechanisms of
your body and life, let it electrify you in
wonder and curiosity. Never get complacent over
the miracle of life. Live in awe. Let this be
the focus of your education...not your grades,
which tell you nothing about the kind of doctor
you will be. (When I was in medical school,
I told them never to notify me about my grades
unless I failed... which became very freeing.)
- Do not let the cost of education paralyze
you. It is a privilege that you are so fortunate
to be in school. When you finish you will pay
your loans back as soon as you can. If you choose
service-oriented Medicine, its gift is payback
enough until funds come in. Don't let the debt
trap you in a repugnant practice. Here creativity
and exploration make great playmates. There
is no debtor's prison. Community support can
be key here.
- Cultivate intimacy with the health professionals
and professors you respect. Invite yourself
to their homes. Establish a thriving dialogue.
Ask to come into their practice. Reach out for
the same intimacy with aides, orderlies and
nurses as you do with doctors and patients.
The word here is friendliness, wherever you
go in life; it will make your day thrilling.
- Please have support groups. Support in study.
Support in play. Find like minds and fantasize
your medical interests and futures. Practice
being very deep and intimate with each other.
Hold nothing back.
- Please get involved in the politics of Medicine
from the very beginning. Belong to the American
Holistic Medical Association (AHMA), American
Medical Student Association (AMSA), Office of
Student Representatives (OSR) of the Association
of American Medical Colleges, the American Medical
Association (AMA), the American Academy of Family
Physicians (AAFP), etc. Go to the meetings,
especially the big ones, and talk with everyone.
There is gold everywhere. Many are thinking
about the same things you are. Your fantasy
Medical practice may sprout in this climate.
- Yes, fantasize your most outlandish Medical
fantasy. Your degree in Medicine is the freedom
to choose exactly how you want to practice.
The only limiting factors will be your fears
and imagination. Band together and soar.
- Focus on Medicine as service. Medicine as
a business is hurting everyone. The rewards
in Medicine are in helping others and in self-discovery.
Giving is an intoxication, intimacy is a by-product.
Brace yourself for an avalanche of love.
- This is a whopper. Have outside interests!
You are not a doctor. You are a person who has
studied Medicine. You are all of your other
interests just as well. Nurture all of your
loves. Experiment with ways of integrating your
interests with you Medicine. Weave these interests
into the relationships you have with your patients.
Be open to learning things from them... you
will love the bonds that form.
- Finally, do not sacrifice your family for
your Medical career. What you learn in keeping
your family vibrant will serve you greatly with
your patients. Please cherish your significant
others, your lovers, your children, your parents,
and feel the great health their love fives you.
See your friends as a part of your family.
Patch Adams, M.D.
Wellness Resource Guide for Medical Students
published by AMSA.
|
