You start medical school thinking it is about passing tests learning about the human body and getting through those long nights without sleep.
At some point between your first oral exam and your first real patient you figure out. This is not just about studying anymore.
It is about learning how to tell people news without making them feel worse.
It is about staying calm when someone else’s very upset.
It is about keeping going even when you’re completely exhausted and still being expected to do your best.
Being a doctor is not about being smart. It also tests how patient you are, how well you can handle tough situations and how strong your feelings are.
You will doubt yourself a lot.
You will ask yourself “Am I good enough to be a doctor?”
You will wonder “Do I really belong in school?”
You will think “Will I always feel this overwhelmed?”
Yet you will keep going.
Because in, between all the work there are moments that you cannot learn from a book -
A patient putting their trust in you the doctor.
A person getting better because of the care you, the doctor provided.
A quiet feeling of doing something that you, the doctor cannot find in any other job.
This journey of being a doctor will be very tiring it will change you. Sometimes it will even scare you.
It will also make you, the doctor, stronger, more confident and more compassionate.
So ask yourself. Are you the doctor just trying to get through school or are you ready to let it change your life?