Musa Faridat
300-level Medicine & Surgery
University of Ilorin
If you want to walk fast, walk alone. But if you want to walk far, walk together.
There is probably no setting where this quote applies more than in medical school. It is the ultimate battlefield, where one wrong move can send you in the direction of a stray missile. Like soldiers-in-training, we prepare ourselves to spend our lives protecting those of others. Also like soldiers on the field, we commit to protecting one another and not leaving anyone behind. I like to think of this solidarity as one borne out of the consciousness that the fight is not amongst ourselves—one soldier against the other—but between lifting the flag in victory and withdrawing from the field.
Stepping into the college of medicine already provides you with the first members of your family—the medical student association and CMDA or MSSN. These groups break their backs to ensure you are properly integrated into the system—from organizing orientations and welcome parties, in form of gaming/movie nights and picnics, to offering you learning materials, advice and age-long, multidimensional hacks to help you keep your head above water at all times. Some even go the extra mile and pair you with a senior colleague for more personalised guidance. It sets in place a culture that grooms us to be our brother’s keeper.
Usually, as you spend more time in college, the volume of your interactions increases; and even without your mindfulness, your family network deepens. From the senior colleague you constantly pester in the library or during night class to explain ‘stuff’ to you, those you banter with after football matches, those you share room space with and those you work with, in different committees, to those you randomly meet and click with, you gradually widen your circle.
These people show up for you, before, during, and after exams and every other time, despite having their own academics to attend to. They stay up with you, helping with compound biochemistry pathways, anatomical structures and relations, physiology’s factors and controls. Let us not forget how these people become the most reliable food plug, towards and in between the exams. You come back dazed from an exam to be soothed by food you did not have to prepare yourself; and when the god of result throws you an ugly score, they are still there to shower you with moral support and help you better prepare for the next battle.
Growth is a must, so as you move up the scale, you inadvertently become a school parent too. New college entrants flock around you for all manner of support, and you find yourself reassuring them with the clichés ‘you will be fine’ and ‘we move’. To whom much is given, much more is expected—this simple principle ensures the permanence of this culture. You would not even realize when exactly you develop a tougher skin and become a pillar of support for others.
Nurturing relationships outside the classroom is another training that medical school gives freely. You develop a human connection that comes with sharing difficult and blurry days. Interpersonal interaction is one of the many skills you pick up by feeding life to your relationships, and it affords you more benefits and opportunities than you have set out to mine. To think of the magnitude of canopy conquests it guarantees you during ‘grand ward rounds’ and ‘steeplechases’! It is particularly fascinating that some of these relationships gradually morph into ‘romantiships’ that either withstand strains or deliquesce as swiftly as they are formed.
It is impossible to ignore the value and strength that lies in being part of such a community, and I am grateful for everyone who has eased my path to date. By the way, these are hard times so check up on your college family today.
P. S.
Click here to watch our YouTube video on why you shouldn’t study Medicine at the University.
