Motivations Flashcards
Why Aberdeen
-Very good medical school, 1st in the UK for medicine in the 2024 Guardian University rankings.
-Remote and rural option (I remember when I was shadowing doctors at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, I talked to an aberdeen medical student and she told me about the remote and rural option) As someone who used to live in quite a rural place - Orkney, Stromness i think it would be very interesting to learn more about the challenges of working in rural medicine and what doctors do to help patients in those places. As far as I know, Aberdeen is the only medical school to offer something like this.
-Integrated teaching method - teaching scientific knowledge alongside clinical training. I’m a hands-on learner, so I feel like this teaching method will really suit my learning style. Because of this teaching method you’re exposed to a clinical environment early into the course through the patient partner scheme which involves volunteers from the community coming into the clinical centre and letting students examine them. Read from med student forums that this early exposure has been super beneficial with building up confidence
-More social aspect - a lot of societies and clubs to join, I think especially as a med student it’s good to have a good social circle, and something you can do to relax. From the forums i’ve read, studying medicine can be quite an isolating course to study sometimes, because of how difficult and content heavy it is, talking to medical students, they’ve told me that a lot of their friends have gotten burnt out easily because of this.
Why medicine? pt 1
When I was quite young, I was undergoing treatment for epilepsy. Although I don’t remember every detail of my time in the hospital, I do remember being told more information about my experiences in the hospital when I was slightly older and these retellings of my time in the hospital, I think is what sparked my curiosity and got me interested in learning about the human body. My fascination towards medicine was nurtured through being taught about biology at school. Exploring the intricacies of life at a cellular and molecular level propelled me to delve deeper and learn more. The knowledge I gained in Biology was more than just academic to me, learning about the human body and diseases that can affect it became almost a hobby-just a very deep interest. Beyond traditional education and just learning about biology in class, I found an outlet for my newly acquired interest through Youtube videos and books. (these videos were often created by passionate doctors, these doctors would use organs and structures that were donated by people to be used for science) and being able to see these structures for myself made all the theoretical concepts I had been taught about before come to life. Watching these videos provided amore medical perspective that I couldn’t get from a biology classroom.
Why medicine pt2
One notable book that significantly fueled my interest was “The man who mistook his wife for a hat” by Oliver Sacks. The book is about neurologist Oliver Sacks describing the case histories of some of his patients. The book explores various neurological cases studies and opened up my eyes to the intricacies of the human brain. Sacks’ narration highlighted to me the importance of empathy, and the bridge between the academic and emotional dimensions of medicine [part of the reason Sacks actually published the book was to highlight to the medical community at the time the importance of patient centred and personalised care] . This book fueled my love for biology, but also an appreciation for the compassionate and humanistic aspects of healthcare.
Why medicine pt3
I had an 8 hour work experience opportunity to shadow doctors in the general surgery ward at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Witnessing patient consultations and watching doctors work together to create treatment plans, opened my eyes to the multifaceted nature of medicine. It’s not just about textbook knowledge and memorising a big list of diseases, it involves addressing the emotional and social dimensions of health. Volunteering at the care home deepened my understanding of patience and empathy. Talking to the elderly residents and watching the nurses look after them, I observed the art of providing comfort and support. It was here that I grasped the value of companionship,I found it interesting to see how much a small chat could impact their mood. I realised how much I like this component of medicine. Like- even though I was doing something small, I was still helping them. I want to do medicine to drive my love for learning and biology, but also to have an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives.
Why a doctor and not a nurse?
Both key members of the NHS and provide essential patient care in their own way
There are quite a few distinctions between doctors and nurses. Doctors undergo extensive education, including medical school, to diagnose, treat and manage various medical conditions. Doctors have the authority to prescribe medications, perform surgeries and make critical medical decisions.
Nurses on the other hand, play a vital role in specifically supporting patients, focusing on implementing treatment plans, administering medications and providing emotional support. While they collaborate closely with doctors, nurses have a different role to play than Doctors within the NHS.
So the reason I want to be a doctor and not a nurse is because of my passion for medical knowledge and the desire to lead in critical healthcare decisions. The education provided in medical school aligns with my enthusiasm for understanding the complexities of the human body and how diseases can develop and be managed.
-Medicine offers a larger scope for specialisations , more options to find an aspect of medicine that you’ll potentially be doing for the rest of your life.
-Moreover, the increased level of responsibility and autonomy associated with being a doctor appeals to my inclination for leadership and decision making. I want to be able to shoulder a broader scope of medical responsibilities, including prescribing treatments, performing surgeries and contributing to advancements in medical science.
