Our Blog

Just when we thought that we were done with the delta variant and that life would finally return to normalcy, we had to reluctantly acknowledge the new elephant in the room; The Omicron Variant. The worst part of this never-ending pandemic is not the masks or the social distancing, but rather the mind-boggling uncertainty. What will future policy be like? Will there be a general quarantine again? Will we have to work from home again? Will we see a widespread closure of cinemas and bars? These are just some of the many questions that have started popping up again.

You have thought long and hard about the consequences and the stakes, and you have finally decided that taking a gap year right now is the best decision that you can take in your circumstances. Gap years are considered ‘naps’ to ease up the daily routine and go out in the real world, whether it’s travel before college, a study abroad to break up the monotony, an internship to dive further into a passion, or a volunteer placement to broaden charitable horizons.

I detested head and neck anatomy, even in first year. Why do I need to learn the five layers of the scalp? What’s inside a nose and why should I care about it? Why do all the tubes going down through the chest look exactly the same when they’re in there? It was a nightmare and I’m pretty sure if I could find my lacrimal gland, you’d have found it empty at every turn. 

Imagine: Medical school is about to start. You are excited to embark on a journey that has been your life’s passion, but at the same time nervous about how you are going to do all of it. Here is what you should know before going into medical school.

Over the years, we have noticed one certain element that is constantly and increasingly being eroded from society, and one which is vital for healthcare professionals – empathy. Empathy is what allows us to feel secondhand emotions. It is what allows us to understand the pain of the person we’re talking to. It is what helps us broaden our horizons and look beyond the selfishness of our own personalities. It is what encourages community.

However, it is a sad state of affairs for us medical professionals when we look around in our work environment and see a stark absence of this vital trait. A trait which is necessary not just for the patient, but also for their attendants. A trait not just for our colleagues, but also for our juniors. I don’t blame doctors. They see this day in and day out. They see pain and they see death. They see hopelessness and they see tears. It’s only natural for a human mind to start getting desensitized when it is regularly overloaded with such strong emotions.

Imagine a different life. Instead of the beeping of IV pumps and the bustling of the healthcare team, you are instead surrounded by the purr of diagnostic machines, the whirring of refrigerators, and the bright white fluorescent lights of a laboratory. There are no patients here, but there are parts of them. And what makes it even more exciting is that there are things that only you know, things that only you can find out, and knowledge that is only contained within the walls a pathologist calls home. 

It goes without saying that medical colleges have the highest tuition fee amongst all colleges/universities globally. Trust me, it is hard enough to deal with med school without considering the exorbitant tuition fee. Most medical students are always fighting to make ends meet due to the ongoing load of student debt, scholarships, and housing fees. 

Personal statements (PS) form an integral part of your residency application. It has a citing factor of 78% by program directors according to NRMP data. If you are anything like me, you probably have half a dozen versions of it typed out, with every new draft looking more and more different from the others.