Hello dear readers!!
Check out my guest post "Sanctify Ye a Fast" over at Fr. Anthony Messeh's blog Finding God in Everyday Life!
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Saturday, November 22, 2014
The Doctor Syndrome
Wikipedia has an article about "white coat syndrome;" we Copts jokingly diagnose our grandmothers with "parking lot syndrome" on a weekly basis; and I think every medical student has diagnosed himself with at least one syndrome during his med school tenure (I know I have, multiple times, all turning out to be a figment of my hyperactive imagination; read: illness anxiety disorder). My best friend recently diagnosed me with another syndrome she cleverly made up to lump all my medical-school-induced faults together: the Doctor Syndrome.
I recently posted about confidence and what it means to me in the medical setting ("Be Confident, Small Immortals"). It seems natural to follow up with a post about arrogance and how to fight it. We've all seen it - the attending who walks around like he's God's gift to humanity, the doctor who makes his patient feel like an idiot for not knowing what "hypertension" means, the inexplicable arrogance that seems to exude from too many physicians just because they're so specialized in one field and probably make a lot of money doing it.
It's almost inevitable. Don't get me wrong - physicians work VERY VERY HARD to become what they are - medical school is NOT EASY, residency is MISERABLE, and the amount of sacrifice one has to make is sometimes just NOT WORTH IT. From the beginning of medical school to the end of residency, you are beaten down, trampled on, humiliated, embarrassed, reminded daily that you're at the very bottom of the totem pole. So when you finally achieve some measure of respect as an attending, it's easy for that respect to turn into arrogance. Now there is some confidence in your own medical knowledge, and you are privy to such intimate knowledge of the human body in a secret world that so few others are part of.
I think the best way to combat this is to remind yourself that YOU DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING. Having a good friend who can tell you, "Stop talking like you know everything," is a GREAT way to start. Surrounding yourself with kind, decent people who know a lot about subjects you know nothing about keeps you grounded.
Another thing I think can help - and this is pure speculation on my part, as I am not yet practicing - is to focus solely on your patients. Instead of thinking, "I'm great, I'm an attending, I'm all that, I have all of two lowly interns reporting to me," it might help to think, "I have a very sick patient in the next room, what can I do to make this patient better? May God grant me the clarity and wisdom to be able to give this patient the best quality care while he is in my hands." As C. S. Lewis wrote, "True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less."
So, my fellow Coptic MDs, do yourselves a favor. Keep your head down and plough through. Don't forget that there's a whole ton you don't know. Don't be diagnosed with the Doctor Syndrome.
I recently posted about confidence and what it means to me in the medical setting ("Be Confident, Small Immortals"). It seems natural to follow up with a post about arrogance and how to fight it. We've all seen it - the attending who walks around like he's God's gift to humanity, the doctor who makes his patient feel like an idiot for not knowing what "hypertension" means, the inexplicable arrogance that seems to exude from too many physicians just because they're so specialized in one field and probably make a lot of money doing it.
It's almost inevitable. Don't get me wrong - physicians work VERY VERY HARD to become what they are - medical school is NOT EASY, residency is MISERABLE, and the amount of sacrifice one has to make is sometimes just NOT WORTH IT. From the beginning of medical school to the end of residency, you are beaten down, trampled on, humiliated, embarrassed, reminded daily that you're at the very bottom of the totem pole. So when you finally achieve some measure of respect as an attending, it's easy for that respect to turn into arrogance. Now there is some confidence in your own medical knowledge, and you are privy to such intimate knowledge of the human body in a secret world that so few others are part of.
I think the best way to combat this is to remind yourself that YOU DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING. Having a good friend who can tell you, "Stop talking like you know everything," is a GREAT way to start. Surrounding yourself with kind, decent people who know a lot about subjects you know nothing about keeps you grounded.
Another thing I think can help - and this is pure speculation on my part, as I am not yet practicing - is to focus solely on your patients. Instead of thinking, "I'm great, I'm an attending, I'm all that, I have all of two lowly interns reporting to me," it might help to think, "I have a very sick patient in the next room, what can I do to make this patient better? May God grant me the clarity and wisdom to be able to give this patient the best quality care while he is in my hands." As C. S. Lewis wrote, "True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less."
So, my fellow Coptic MDs, do yourselves a favor. Keep your head down and plough through. Don't forget that there's a whole ton you don't know. Don't be diagnosed with the Doctor Syndrome.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Bryan Stevenson - TEDMED 2012
I recently discovered an American activist by the name of Bryan Stevenson, an NYU law professor, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, and a powerful advocate for the poor and for people of color (read his full bio here).
Mr. Stevenson gave a standing-ovation-worthy talk at TEDMED 2012. If you've already dedicated time out of your day to read this simple blog post, I urge you to take a few more minutes to watch his talk here. Believe me, you'll be glad you did.
There are very few people I learn about via the internet or social media to whom I am immediately attracted. Bryan Stevenson made the cut. He speaks simply, directly, and humbly about real issues that matter. He gets to the heart of it. He doesn't admonish - he fixes. He's the sort of person you want to have dinner with so you can just sit and absorb his ideas.
Here are a few good quotes from the aforementioned talk. (Really, if you haven't watched it yet, WATCH IT. It'll be the most productive 20 minutes of your day.)
Mr. Stevenson gave a standing-ovation-worthy talk at TEDMED 2012. If you've already dedicated time out of your day to read this simple blog post, I urge you to take a few more minutes to watch his talk here. Believe me, you'll be glad you did.
There are very few people I learn about via the internet or social media to whom I am immediately attracted. Bryan Stevenson made the cut. He speaks simply, directly, and humbly about real issues that matter. He gets to the heart of it. He doesn't admonish - he fixes. He's the sort of person you want to have dinner with so you can just sit and absorb his ideas.
Here are a few good quotes from the aforementioned talk. (Really, if you haven't watched it yet, WATCH IT. It'll be the most productive 20 minutes of your day.)
"I think if you're a doctor, you can do some amazing things, but if you're a compassionate doctor, you can do some extraordinary things."
"In our country we ask the question, 'Do people deserve to die for the crime they've committed?' And to me I think the real question is, 'Do we deserve to kill?'"
"The opposite of poverty is not wealth, but justice."
"In Germany, they can never have the death penalty again... [To quote a German citizen:] 'We understand our obligation to our history requires us to never engage in the systematic killing of human beings'...How would it feel if we lived in a world where the nation state of Germany was still executing people? And how would it feel if the people they were executing were disproportionately Jewish?...It's vastly unacceptable. I went through the states of the Old South and I went to death row where there's a disproportionately high percentage of people with color, and I went to the places were I saw old people humiliated as a child as a result of Jim Crow laws. I went to the places where the "White" and "Colored" signs used to be. I went to the places where people are still moving in the margins of our society with this burden of discrimination and bias sitting on top of them."
"It would be so much easier to put out the things that are so vexing and difficult. But sometimes I think you have to stand when everyone else is sitting, sometimes you have to say something when everyone else is quiet, and when you do that, yes you are burdened by all the challenges, but you are liberated by the possibilities of creating an identity that resonates in an honest way."
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Guest Post on "Stupidity - and - Humility!"
Hello dear readers!!
Check out my guest post, "Be Confident, Small Immortals," on Martha Farag's blog Stupidity - and - Humility at http://stupidityandhumility.blogspot.com/!!!
Check out my guest post, "Be Confident, Small Immortals," on Martha Farag's blog Stupidity - and - Humility at http://stupidityandhumility.blogspot.com/!!!
Monday, August 25, 2014
A Note to First Years: It DOES Get Better!
I have a friend who just started his first week of medical school this past week. Already he is exhibiting signs of stress and disillusionment because of the workload. He is starting to realize the enormous sacrifice he will have to make for his studies. He is wondering if he chose the right path, if he could have chosen something a bit easier.
In short, he sounds just like I did when I began medical school.
For my friend, and for all who may be in this situation, I have one thing to say: IT DOES GET BETTER!
It really does!
First year is horrible, folks. For a number of reasons:
1) First, you don't know anyone yet, you are trying to get readjusted to a new social environment, you are thrown into a new level of professionalism very quickly, you want to make a good impression with everyone - the social stakes are much higher here.
My advice here is, do not be pressured to be something greater than what you are - or to know more than is expected at this point in your education. Remember, the admissions committee deemed you med school-worthy, otherwise you wouldn't have gotten accepted. Have confidence in that. More importantly, remember that God chose you for this path - pray constantly for His guidance and support.
2) Secondly, you have never been exposed to this type of studying before, and frankly, you don't really know how to study. So much information to learn in such a short amount of time - you don't have any extra time to waste to figure out how to study it all!
Well, my best advice is - just do whatever worked for you in college. Stick to an honest study method but don't worry too much about it - you'll definitely figure it out in time. Were you a handwriting-notes type of person? Keep doing that. Prefer to type your notes in class? Fine. Flashcards? Maybe, for some courses, but don't waste too much time making them - buying pre-made flashcards for courses like Anatomy and Pharmacology is well worth the money.
3) You might be having trouble finding a healthy balance between studying and actually living. Entering medical school is basically like having a whole new life in some ways. You really don't have time for anything except studying most days of the week. Finding it difficulty to get to Sunday School, youth meetings, or Bible studies at your church?
This is probably the most important thing you can do for yourself when you are starting out your first year: Never stop going to church services REGULARLY. Liturgy is NOT a sacrifice you should make for medical school, EVER. Maybe you won't be able to go to a Bible study the week before an exam, maybe you can't go to tasbeha as much as you would like. But never, ever, EVER stop going to liturgy!!! This is seriously the most important thing you can do for your spiritual and emotional health. Also, don't stop reading your Bible, and keep up with your prayer discipline!!!
Additionally, it is very important to maintain your physical well-being while in medical school - this will help you study and keep you from getting too stressed out. Get to the gym if that's your thing, or do some physical activity outside. Make the most of your break times - don't just sit and watch TV, but relax your brain in a different way - read a book, engage in some artwork, take a walk with a friend.
Finally, don't lose whatever it is that you are passionate about. Too many medical students lose sight of the end goal and become bitter and disillusioned by the time they graduate. Don't let this happen to you. Whatever particular hobby or interest you have - whatever it is that fires up your spirit and gives meaning to your life - don't let go of this.
Most of all, remember that MEDICINE IS AWESOME. Once you start getting into the hospital and seeing how doctors really do change the lives of their patients, you will remember why you chose this path. There's nothing so satisfying as diagnosing an illness in a patient early enough to revert its progression, or pulling off a surgery that literally restores a patient's vision, or helping a patient regain use of his limbs after a stroke. Interacting with patients is the BEST part of medical school, it's what makes medicine so wonderful.
You want to be the best doctor you can be for your patients, right? Keeping that in mind, studying your histology slides tonight might seem a bit easier. Godspeed :) .
In short, he sounds just like I did when I began medical school.
For my friend, and for all who may be in this situation, I have one thing to say: IT DOES GET BETTER!
It really does!
First year is horrible, folks. For a number of reasons:
1) First, you don't know anyone yet, you are trying to get readjusted to a new social environment, you are thrown into a new level of professionalism very quickly, you want to make a good impression with everyone - the social stakes are much higher here.
My advice here is, do not be pressured to be something greater than what you are - or to know more than is expected at this point in your education. Remember, the admissions committee deemed you med school-worthy, otherwise you wouldn't have gotten accepted. Have confidence in that. More importantly, remember that God chose you for this path - pray constantly for His guidance and support.
2) Secondly, you have never been exposed to this type of studying before, and frankly, you don't really know how to study. So much information to learn in such a short amount of time - you don't have any extra time to waste to figure out how to study it all!
Well, my best advice is - just do whatever worked for you in college. Stick to an honest study method but don't worry too much about it - you'll definitely figure it out in time. Were you a handwriting-notes type of person? Keep doing that. Prefer to type your notes in class? Fine. Flashcards? Maybe, for some courses, but don't waste too much time making them - buying pre-made flashcards for courses like Anatomy and Pharmacology is well worth the money.
3) You might be having trouble finding a healthy balance between studying and actually living. Entering medical school is basically like having a whole new life in some ways. You really don't have time for anything except studying most days of the week. Finding it difficulty to get to Sunday School, youth meetings, or Bible studies at your church?
This is probably the most important thing you can do for yourself when you are starting out your first year: Never stop going to church services REGULARLY. Liturgy is NOT a sacrifice you should make for medical school, EVER. Maybe you won't be able to go to a Bible study the week before an exam, maybe you can't go to tasbeha as much as you would like. But never, ever, EVER stop going to liturgy!!! This is seriously the most important thing you can do for your spiritual and emotional health. Also, don't stop reading your Bible, and keep up with your prayer discipline!!!
Additionally, it is very important to maintain your physical well-being while in medical school - this will help you study and keep you from getting too stressed out. Get to the gym if that's your thing, or do some physical activity outside. Make the most of your break times - don't just sit and watch TV, but relax your brain in a different way - read a book, engage in some artwork, take a walk with a friend.
Finally, don't lose whatever it is that you are passionate about. Too many medical students lose sight of the end goal and become bitter and disillusioned by the time they graduate. Don't let this happen to you. Whatever particular hobby or interest you have - whatever it is that fires up your spirit and gives meaning to your life - don't let go of this.
Most of all, remember that MEDICINE IS AWESOME. Once you start getting into the hospital and seeing how doctors really do change the lives of their patients, you will remember why you chose this path. There's nothing so satisfying as diagnosing an illness in a patient early enough to revert its progression, or pulling off a surgery that literally restores a patient's vision, or helping a patient regain use of his limbs after a stroke. Interacting with patients is the BEST part of medical school, it's what makes medicine so wonderful.
You want to be the best doctor you can be for your patients, right? Keeping that in mind, studying your histology slides tonight might seem a bit easier. Godspeed :) .
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Guest Post on Bold Evangelism!
Hi everyone!
Check out my guest post, "The Joy of Medicine," on Dr. Mena Mirhom's blog Bold Evangelism at mirhom.blogspot.com!!!
Check out my guest post, "The Joy of Medicine," on Dr. Mena Mirhom's blog Bold Evangelism at mirhom.blogspot.com!!!
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Med School - On Hiatus
Recently a friend asked me how my day was, and, being the joyful medical-student-on-summer-vacation that I am, I answered with these exact words: "Beautiful. Shadowed in the OR in the morning [for the speciality I'm interested in], spent most of the afternoon at the park, worked on my [favorite hobby] in the evening, going to the gym soon." To which my friend replied, "Sounds glorious...I hope God gives you a good day like today everyday."
Well, that response got the wheels turning. Not just that I have an awesome friend who would give a response such as that, but the reminder that this day was given by God.
I tried to imagine what my day would have been like if I had done exactly the same activities, but was not a Christian. And I realized - even if the outward events had been precisely identical, my reaction to the day would have been listless, dull, empty, shallow. Instead, as a Christian, I returned at the end of the day to my apartment physically exhausted but spiritually full, bounding with joy, my soul deep in the riches of this spiritual life God has given us.
That's the thing. I don't believe that being a Christian will necessarily change your life in a grandiose, monumental way that's visible to the world. It certainly can - Christianity can lead you to missionary work in Africa, or it may call you to priesthood or celibacy as a nun or monk. But for the majority of us, I believe being a Christian changes your life in the little things - in the details of your daily activities that without God behind the curtain would be lifeless, monotonous, meaningless.
God infuses Himself in everything we do. In every detail of our life, in every action we do and breath we take, He is there - if we let Him be. I took a walk in the park today in a particularly scenic area by a lake, and a spontaneous prayer erupted inwardly - "Thank you Lord for making such a beautiful place for us to enjoy!" That reaction made my experience in the park infinitely more special and memorable. It gave meaning and greater depth to what I was doing at that moment. It gave my activity a dimension that I could only barely begin to understand, because that dimension stretched from my lowly state to the highest of the heavens.
God gives meaning to everything we do. Every relationship, every action, every success or failure - cannot be measured by worldly standards, for the worldly standards are in and of themselves ambivalent creations of flawed worldly beings. They must be measured by something true and absolute - and this can only be done in a spiritual life, in a state of being when one's soul is connected to God.
How empty our lives would be without their Creator to fill them! What I have been trying to say in this post can be summed up nicely in a quote from one of my favorite contemporary Christian apologists via the mouth of Uncle Screwtape: "We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over."
Well, that response got the wheels turning. Not just that I have an awesome friend who would give a response such as that, but the reminder that this day was given by God.
I tried to imagine what my day would have been like if I had done exactly the same activities, but was not a Christian. And I realized - even if the outward events had been precisely identical, my reaction to the day would have been listless, dull, empty, shallow. Instead, as a Christian, I returned at the end of the day to my apartment physically exhausted but spiritually full, bounding with joy, my soul deep in the riches of this spiritual life God has given us.
That's the thing. I don't believe that being a Christian will necessarily change your life in a grandiose, monumental way that's visible to the world. It certainly can - Christianity can lead you to missionary work in Africa, or it may call you to priesthood or celibacy as a nun or monk. But for the majority of us, I believe being a Christian changes your life in the little things - in the details of your daily activities that without God behind the curtain would be lifeless, monotonous, meaningless.
God infuses Himself in everything we do. In every detail of our life, in every action we do and breath we take, He is there - if we let Him be. I took a walk in the park today in a particularly scenic area by a lake, and a spontaneous prayer erupted inwardly - "Thank you Lord for making such a beautiful place for us to enjoy!" That reaction made my experience in the park infinitely more special and memorable. It gave meaning and greater depth to what I was doing at that moment. It gave my activity a dimension that I could only barely begin to understand, because that dimension stretched from my lowly state to the highest of the heavens.
God gives meaning to everything we do. Every relationship, every action, every success or failure - cannot be measured by worldly standards, for the worldly standards are in and of themselves ambivalent creations of flawed worldly beings. They must be measured by something true and absolute - and this can only be done in a spiritual life, in a state of being when one's soul is connected to God.
How empty our lives would be without their Creator to fill them! What I have been trying to say in this post can be summed up nicely in a quote from one of my favorite contemporary Christian apologists via the mouth of Uncle Screwtape: "We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over."
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Med School: Where Dwell the Lonely in Heart
Medical school is lonely.
It's a strange scenario. Most US med schools have class sizes that are less than 200 students. There's even one school out there with an entire class size of just 100 students. Can you imagine? My undergraduate biology lecture class was larger than that.
So, med school is like a small village. Everyone knows everyone. Everyone is friends with everyone. Within the first few months of school, everyone in your class knows where you live, what college you went to, whether you're single, whether you're dating someone else in the class...you get the picture. In an apocalyptic sense, nothing about you is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known. Your life becomes transparent to 199 other people. That's just the nature of medical school.
Everyone knows who you are. And yet, medical school is utterly and painfully lonely.
What's the reason for this conundrum? The thing is, if you want to do well on your classes and board exams, your life becomes a routine of classes in the morning and endless of hours studying in the afternoon and well through the night. Shower, sleep, (oh yeah, maybe eat too), wake up, aaaaaand repeat. The only way you can have a social life is by going to class to see other people. Your weekend, which used to be pleasantly entertaining during college, gets whittled down to a routine two days of studying interrupted by one event: Sunday morning liturgy. You see pictures of your other non-medical-school friends on Facebook having the time of their lives on a beautiful sunny spring day, and you're painfully reminded of why you can't join them.
Loneliness is real.
But what I've discovered is, one of the best ways to combat loneliness is to a) stop feeling sorry for yourself and b) remember what God has blessed you with.
What are your blessings? Need a reminder? Remember how happy you were when you got that first acceptance letter from a medical school? Look around your room while you're reading this blog. Appreciate the comfortable bed you will sleep in tonight, and remember the homeless on the streets of New York. Take a glance at your picture of Christ, and remember those who have no Church to turn to. Look through your phone's contact list, and remember those whose families have turned them away out of hatred and division.
Loneliness is real. But blessings are real too.
A list of other ways I've learned to deal with loneliness:
1) Remember always to thank God for His blessings in your life.
2) Pray, pray, pray. Pray constantly. Pray always. Pray without ceasing.
3) Never ever ever stop going to church services!! This is KEY to living a balanced life.
4) Remember who your true, genuine, God-given friends are, and make the effort to keep in touch with them.
5) Listen to music while you study, if you are able, particularly classical music. It helps you focus and calms your soul. Beethoven's 9th is a particular favorite.
6) Avoid facebook. It doesn't help when that particularly annoying friend of yours posts a million selfies of him/herself and all your friends at some restaurant.
7) Use your break times from studying wisely. Don't just sit and watch TV. Take a walk with a friend, go to the gym and get those endorphins flowing. Read a book, paint a picture, do something productive for your brain.
8) Remember who you are, where you belong, what your passions are, what makes you happy. What is it that drives you? Following a particular sport? Training for a marathon? Saving the whales? Whatever works.
9) Friends and family. They're so important.
10) Remember that God didn't necessarily promise you happiness. More on this to come in a later blog.
So, yes, loneliness is real, but don't forget that blessings are real, too.
It's a strange scenario. Most US med schools have class sizes that are less than 200 students. There's even one school out there with an entire class size of just 100 students. Can you imagine? My undergraduate biology lecture class was larger than that.
So, med school is like a small village. Everyone knows everyone. Everyone is friends with everyone. Within the first few months of school, everyone in your class knows where you live, what college you went to, whether you're single, whether you're dating someone else in the class...you get the picture. In an apocalyptic sense, nothing about you is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known. Your life becomes transparent to 199 other people. That's just the nature of medical school.
Everyone knows who you are. And yet, medical school is utterly and painfully lonely.
What's the reason for this conundrum? The thing is, if you want to do well on your classes and board exams, your life becomes a routine of classes in the morning and endless of hours studying in the afternoon and well through the night. Shower, sleep, (oh yeah, maybe eat too), wake up, aaaaaand repeat. The only way you can have a social life is by going to class to see other people. Your weekend, which used to be pleasantly entertaining during college, gets whittled down to a routine two days of studying interrupted by one event: Sunday morning liturgy. You see pictures of your other non-medical-school friends on Facebook having the time of their lives on a beautiful sunny spring day, and you're painfully reminded of why you can't join them.
Loneliness is real.
But what I've discovered is, one of the best ways to combat loneliness is to a) stop feeling sorry for yourself and b) remember what God has blessed you with.
What are your blessings? Need a reminder? Remember how happy you were when you got that first acceptance letter from a medical school? Look around your room while you're reading this blog. Appreciate the comfortable bed you will sleep in tonight, and remember the homeless on the streets of New York. Take a glance at your picture of Christ, and remember those who have no Church to turn to. Look through your phone's contact list, and remember those whose families have turned them away out of hatred and division.
Loneliness is real. But blessings are real too.
A list of other ways I've learned to deal with loneliness:
1) Remember always to thank God for His blessings in your life.
2) Pray, pray, pray. Pray constantly. Pray always. Pray without ceasing.
3) Never ever ever stop going to church services!! This is KEY to living a balanced life.
4) Remember who your true, genuine, God-given friends are, and make the effort to keep in touch with them.
5) Listen to music while you study, if you are able, particularly classical music. It helps you focus and calms your soul. Beethoven's 9th is a particular favorite.
6) Avoid facebook. It doesn't help when that particularly annoying friend of yours posts a million selfies of him/herself and all your friends at some restaurant.
7) Use your break times from studying wisely. Don't just sit and watch TV. Take a walk with a friend, go to the gym and get those endorphins flowing. Read a book, paint a picture, do something productive for your brain.
8) Remember who you are, where you belong, what your passions are, what makes you happy. What is it that drives you? Following a particular sport? Training for a marathon? Saving the whales? Whatever works.
9) Friends and family. They're so important.
10) Remember that God didn't necessarily promise you happiness. More on this to come in a later blog.
So, yes, loneliness is real, but don't forget that blessings are real, too.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Hello all you Coptic MDs!!!
This blog is geared towards American Copts currently enrolled in any type of graduate school (ie medical school, dental school, PA school, DO school, etc) that by its nature inflicts severe stress on its students. Have you ever heard the phrase: "medical school is like drinking from a fire hose"?
Well, if not, don't worry - you'll come to know and understand what it means very intimately: it'll be your mantra for the duration of your time as a health professional student.
I started this blog, "Coptic Rx," because I believe that very few people truly understand what it's like to be a medical student. People say they understand....but they don't. People think they can imagine what the stress is like, but they can't. Let's be real here. You can't understand what it's like unless you've gone through it yourself. Period.
And yeah, it can be annoying when people try to sympathize with you, "Ya habibty, I know what it's like," and inside you're asking, "Really Tant?...." but at least they're doing the Christian thing by "weeping with those who weep."
But really, the worst thing is when people try to belittle the amount of stress med school inflicts on you. "Come on, bro, it's really not that bad...." or "Why you upset all the time, bro?" or better yet, "Why you don't hang out with us after church anymore, bro?" Maybe because "I'VE GOT AN ANATOMY EXAM TOMORROW PEOPLE!! DOES NO ONE UNDERSTAND??"
Well, that's the thing. Most people don't understand. Except for those few like yours truly and other lucky med/dental/PA/DO/what have you students out there going through exactly the same thing.
So that's one side of it. The other side is, not only are you a medical student, but you're also Coptic. Aaaahhh yes, there's your strings attached. It's hard enough being a medical student, a period of your life when you're asked to give 100% of yourself, your time, effort, and skills to your studies. But as Copts, we strive to give 100% of ourselves, our time, effort, and talents to Christ and the Church.
So how does that work? How can anyone possibly give more than what they have?
Have you ever felt, as a medical student, that you've been torn between the two - school and church? You haven't gone to Sunday School in weeks, but really, who has time for that with these two pharm exams coming up? You're about to go to sleep, utterly exhausted, at 2 am in the morning after a long night of studying physiology and you realize you haven't touched your Bible for the last three days? You suffer through another humiliating day on rotations being pimped by your attending, and you know you should "turn the other cheek," but all you really want to do is give your attending a piece of your mind?
Well, if you've ever been in those situations, this blog is for you, because, don't worry, there are other Copts out there trying to figure out the same things.
So I hope it helps. Enjoy. Now get back to studying :)
Well, if not, don't worry - you'll come to know and understand what it means very intimately: it'll be your mantra for the duration of your time as a health professional student.
I started this blog, "Coptic Rx," because I believe that very few people truly understand what it's like to be a medical student. People say they understand....but they don't. People think they can imagine what the stress is like, but they can't. Let's be real here. You can't understand what it's like unless you've gone through it yourself. Period.
And yeah, it can be annoying when people try to sympathize with you, "Ya habibty, I know what it's like," and inside you're asking, "Really Tant?...." but at least they're doing the Christian thing by "weeping with those who weep."
But really, the worst thing is when people try to belittle the amount of stress med school inflicts on you. "Come on, bro, it's really not that bad...." or "Why you upset all the time, bro?" or better yet, "Why you don't hang out with us after church anymore, bro?" Maybe because "I'VE GOT AN ANATOMY EXAM TOMORROW PEOPLE!! DOES NO ONE UNDERSTAND??"
Well, that's the thing. Most people don't understand. Except for those few like yours truly and other lucky med/dental/PA/DO/what have you students out there going through exactly the same thing.
So that's one side of it. The other side is, not only are you a medical student, but you're also Coptic. Aaaahhh yes, there's your strings attached. It's hard enough being a medical student, a period of your life when you're asked to give 100% of yourself, your time, effort, and skills to your studies. But as Copts, we strive to give 100% of ourselves, our time, effort, and talents to Christ and the Church.
So how does that work? How can anyone possibly give more than what they have?
Have you ever felt, as a medical student, that you've been torn between the two - school and church? You haven't gone to Sunday School in weeks, but really, who has time for that with these two pharm exams coming up? You're about to go to sleep, utterly exhausted, at 2 am in the morning after a long night of studying physiology and you realize you haven't touched your Bible for the last three days? You suffer through another humiliating day on rotations being pimped by your attending, and you know you should "turn the other cheek," but all you really want to do is give your attending a piece of your mind?
Well, if you've ever been in those situations, this blog is for you, because, don't worry, there are other Copts out there trying to figure out the same things.
So I hope it helps. Enjoy. Now get back to studying :)
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