What a student wants

 

Among the several challenges of being a med student a major one is coping with the difference in the teaching-learning or examination systems between school and college. Our teachers used to tell us back at school that in order to understand a book better you should start reading it from the Preface/Foreword. But it was only after coming to college that one realizes that this is not enough, especially for viva. One must remember the colors of the textbook cover, the full name and qualifications of the author, the latest edition and publishing house of all the books by heart because those are the first questions one faces during viva.

These illogical questions are not the only things that plague the medical education system. The main allegation that the students receive is the below average attendance most of them have. It is often opined that the below average attendance leads to below average performance, which might be true. It is often said to the students during viva that everything was taught in class and attending classes will improve performance. In spite of knowing everything why do students not attend classes then? Is it simply because of casual attitude? Well, it might be for some, but this is only a part of the problem.

In class 12 physics one hears about the hypothetical concept of an absolute reflective surface. It is only after taking classes under certain professors do we realize that this concept is not hypothetical after all. During the said classes students’ brains behave as absolute reflective surfaces where no information seems to be absorbed as they stare blankly at the slides changing on the screen.

Another hilarious incident that occurs whenever the attendance of the class reaches single digits is that the professor starts scolding the people who actually show up. One has to hear fun statements like “Why are you not attending the class?” while actually sitting in the class. And then these students go home regretting the decision and do not come back to class the next day. Does this mean that the situation is damaged beyond repair? No. There are still teachers whose classes the students rush to attend. Haters might say that the crowd is mostly because of good looks but such statements are never entirely true.

What a student wants, is to understand and be understood. Back at school most of us remember teachers who loved us, inspired us and gave us the right amount of push in the right direction. During the transition from adolescence to adulthood, most people are in a state of confusion and lack of confidence when this mentorship is severely missed. Students want teachers who explain in a lucid way so that one can grasp concepts without feeling foolish or worthless, teachers who actually care about their doubts and problems, teachers who inspire and become role models. 

But such teachers are difficult to find in the busy OPDs and overcrowded wards of government medical colleges where everyone is overworked and flustered. Students like to be asked questions regarding their knowledge and understanding about a subject, questions that would help them tackle with problems of day-to-day clinics. However, mostly they are asked definitions and facts no one cares about like “Which college did the author of your textbook study in?” Middle school punishments like parent calls or making students write “Sorry letters” for not attending classes also do not help to strengthen the bond between teachers and students.

It is often said that the students at med school are becoming tuition oriented. This might be because the teachers on these online or offline learning platforms take time to explain concepts in a way students can follow, the questions these apps put to them actually challenge their intellect instead of challenging their self-respect. Is college education all bad then?

For all those who think so, let this author remind you that all is not lost. At times even in these busy wards sit real teachers who share every drop of their knowledge with you. Maybe they will scold you in front of patients, badger you with seemingly out-of-universe questions but they are the ones who will also teach you the science of medicine and art of surgery. You just need to have a thick skin. So the final question is, do you have that?

 

 

We call this place our home

 

Finding love or friendship at med school is not as easy as portrayed by movies or social media. This is because just like testicular cancer, love is mostly one-sided. But one thing that eventually develops in the hearts of all medicos, other than perennial self-reproach and depression, is the undying love for the college which prepares them to face the burdensome responsibilities that come after donning the white coat. This love is subtle and develops day by day with increasing familiarity. Unlike a crush for a handsome senior, this Love does not make butterflies flutter in your belly, or light up your day, it is more like the warm hug of your old shawl on a winter morning.

After several years of bitter sweet experiences in the same college campus it becomes even more dear to us. From the department corridors lined by professors’ offices which continuously remind us about traumatizing viva experiences to the familiar stench of the dead bodies in the morgue, everything brings a sense of belonging.  With time one learns to see their everyday experiences with a new light- the good old library becomes even more beloved, and the giant, ancient trees which have seen so many lovers hold each other in loving embrace or break up bitterly seem like old loving grandfathers.

When our college celebrated its 150^th year, we got to see this ancient institution through the eyes of its alumni and one thing became clear- Time changes, situations change but the love which budding doctors have for their rusty old colleges with hospitals full of germs, filth and diseases remains the same over generations. The dirty wards, the old buildings or the pavements full of patients’ families in waiting might seem unappealing to some but to the medicos this image seems like home. When these same old buildings dress up with fairy lights for festivities, they look beautiful in a simple and quintessential way.

Photo courtesy: Shuvojyoti Rakshit

As one watches old college friends reuniting in the old college campus one dreams of the day when she can come back to this same place as an alumnus and meet the same group which surrounds her today. Maybe even share a meal or watch an energetic concert together. But after the celebration ends, the decorations come down and the sound of the happy banter gets replaced by silence, the college campus seems to grieve the loss like an old woman who just said goodbye to her grown up kids. It is then that the reunion dream seems like wishful thinking and one remembers the assignments due next day with a heavy heart.

With all the hardships med school offers, with the lack of real close friends in most of our lives one wonders why this place becomes so dear to them. Its simple really. One not only ends up loving the place one had sweet experiences in, but also loves the place which saw the worst days of her life and helped her grow as a person. Also, maybe we do not always find what we wish for in college friends but the people whom we share these hardships or these joys with become special to us in some way or the other. College becomes home.

At the end this author is reminded of a couple of lines from a famous song called “North” which probably sums up the emotion med students have for their newfound home:

“Let the years we're here be kind, be kind

Let our hearts, like doors, open wide, open wide

Settle our bones like wood over time, over time

Give us bread, give us salt, give us wine”