The National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) was held at the University of Santo Tomas campus on Nov. 24. This is the first step for those who want to pursue a career in medicine. This is the standard entrance examination for medical schools all around the Philippines.
I come from a family of physicians. Both my parents are doctors. Most of my friends are also aspiring doctors. Ever since I was a child, I never imagined myself doing anything else.
Every now and then, my other friends (those who pursued other careers) would constantly ask me, “Why do you want to be a doctor?” Sometimes, even my own parents ask me the same question. Here is a compilation of all the reasons I gathered, trying to discourage me, or maybe just to pick my brain a little.
- Four more years of education—That is, not including internship, residency, board exams and specialization. It seems like in this profession, the schooling never stops. While most of my batchmates will already be rolling in the Benjamins (or perhaps the Roxases?) by then, I will still be doing homework and studying for an exam.
2. Sacrificing social life—Who would choose transcribing notes, pulling off all-nighters and studying the human body over going to a party on a Friday night with your friends? Unfortunately, this is usually the case for Med students. Can I really sacrifice watching the UAAP games just to study? Is there any way around it? Decisions, decisions.
3. The politics—Basically, getting up the medical ladder entails that you start from the bottom, answer to everyone and do the scut work. You will do this until you finally get up the ladder and have interns of your own. Trust me when I say that your higher-ups will make it unbearable for you.
4. You put your whole life on hold—I have friends who are already married. Some of them have children. Most of them are saving up for a car or a house so that they can live on their own. I will get to do that around 10 years after them. My mom had me before she did her residency, and it was a pretty hard set-up. I have to do one before the other if I want to succeed in both. If I try to juggle it, it will be very, very hard.
Icky
5. You get to handle pretty gross stuff—Getting your hands bloody, dissecting a cadaver, holding internal organs get people disgusted and ready to throw up. Why would you want to cut up a human? Bloody is icky! Why would you want to hold a human heart? You would hear the words “crazy” and “demented” thrown in every now and then.
6. The work schedule—Unlike some jobs, which are 9 to 5, being a doctor is 24/7. I have seen my parents leave the house literally in the wee hours because of an emergency. They cannot use “tired” as an excuse because lives are on the line, but more on that later.
7. You have a job where lives are on the line—This is not for the faint of heart. This job entails extreme focus and quick decision-making. One false step and the patient is history. Do I really want this much responsibility in my hands?
Come to think of it, they were right. I am crazy, perhaps even a bit masochistic to put myself under this much pressure. But I would take this pressure any day. I have my parents and friends to blame, but more importantly, to thank, for they gave me direction.
To the incoming and outgoing medical students, the medical students in their second and third years, the interns and the residents, to all the doctors around the world—I salute you.