Medicine Motivation & Commitment

Why do you want to study medicine?

• Watched medical show (operation ouch) as a child

• Interest continued & started watching more mature shows (Surgeons & Your Body Uncovered) in last few years

• Encouraged to apply for work experience, where I saw how doctors lead MDT & plan holistic treatment

• I want to be able to utilise my interest to gain a worthwhile career that benefits others

• Lifelong learning & ability to micro-specialise appeals to me

• I enjoy working with people (with patients & in MDT)

What did you learn on work experience?

• Role of teamwork in MDT

• Importance of decision making, and teamwork/communication in effective decision making

• How consent can affect a patient’s treatment

Why doctor, not nursing/physio/pharmacy

ALL ARE IMPORTANT - For patient care & helping doctors

• Doctor has more of a managerial role & can formulate plans

• Have ability to sub-specialise & learn about a topic in great detail

• At a point, can teach others about a specialty that you are passionate & highly knowledgable about

Struggles of being a doctor

• Physically strenuous

• Emotionally strenuous - Experiencing illness & death

• May not always be able to help

• Big commitment - Can affect work-life balance & family life

What do you find interesting in medicine?

• Variety of the field - Ability to micro-specialise and sub-specialise, gives lifelong learning

• Homeostatic control of the internal environment (eg. temperature, blood glucose etc.)

Extracurriculars linked to medicine

• SJA First Aid course

• NU Mini med school

• Hindu health camp

• Volunteering

Integrity/mistake example - What did I do about it & why is this important

Communication example + significance

Peer mentoring (S) - Help younger student who was struggling with science (T)

• Communicate with children in an easy-to-understand, yet not patronising way (A) - Doctors need to communicate with patients from a large range of backgrounds (R₂)

• Ensure they understand what I am explaining (R₁) - Doctors need to ensure they are being understood when explaining treatment plan to MDT & risks/benefits to patient

Teamwork example + significance

Silver DofE (S) - Work together to complete expedition (T)

• Assigned each member a role to stick to (A) - Mine was navigation

• Contributed to make sure expedition was as efficient as possible & preventing one person taking all duties to prevent burnout (R)

National concert band (S)  - Work together to learn & perform music for a concert (T)

• Discussing & understanding each person’s strengths & weaknesses (A) - Helps place strengths to team’s advantages (R)

• Percussionists had to move around percussion area during song using non-verbal communication (T) - Using verbal communication & planning during rehearsals (A) to allow for effective non-verbal communication during concert (R)

It is very important to make sure your team works efficiently (to their strengths) to ensure high quality patient care.

Leadership example + significance

Captain of cricket team (S) - Lead team to win match (T)

• Understand conditions of pitch before toss, make decision for teams benefit

• Understand strengths & weaknesses of teammates & position them in field to match (makes them comfortable & benefits team)

• Understand our position in the innings, so that I can use batters with different strengths

• Keep team & individual morale high if things aren’t going to plan

• Remaining calm under pressure to make best possible decisions in for the situation

What do I wish to acheive from medical career?

• Consultancy (unsure about specialty)

• Teaching others

• Research

Example of personal organisation

Managing personal/social, family life & work life (S)

• Balancing A-levels, cricket, cadets, drums, gym & personal/social life (T)

• Prioritisation of tasks (most urgent) and focussing on getting some exercise every day to keep mind & body healthy (A)

Lots going on in a doctor’s day, and ability to triage patients is important (R)

Long work hours = Requirement to maintain work-life balance for personal & patient safety