Last day as a medical student

After five and a half grueling years of studying, we have finally come to the final day as medical students. As I stepped out of the hospital, my heart was filled with a mixture of joy, sense of accomplishment, and surprisingly - a tinge of heaviness. It's certainly a moment that i have been looking forward to, since the first day I entered into medical school. But now that the day has arrived, my mood was undecidedly ambivalent. I could definitely feel a change in status and responsibility as i left the hospital because the next time we enter the same building, we are no longer students but doctors. We no longer need to say: 'Hi Mr Brown. I am a fourth year medical student. Do you mind if i do an examination on you?'. Or 'Hi Dr Schoeman, I am a medical student. I am with your team for the next 8 weeks. Hope that's ok.' Instead, we will be saying: 'Hi I am your doctor. I need to take some history from you. So when did you start having this pain?'

I am definitely going to miss the responsibility-free days of running in and out of the hospital any time I want. Ok not exactly anytime i want but we have much freer schedules compared to the doctors. I am also going to miss the freedom of going from one department to another and learning a variety of things, instead of being stuck in a particular department for a long time like what most doctors do. Most importantly, I am going to miss all the fun times that I spent together with my close friends - meeting up, playing sports, watching movies, chit-chating. Not that doctors can't do that, but doctors are generally busier and all of us would be scattered all over the world anyway.

Now it's just a week to our final exams. It's a final sprint to the finish line and all of us have been working extremely hard. I am revising past years cases with two of my close friends - kianlong and JC and we spend a lot of time studying, talking nonsense, examining and grilling one another. Sometimes when we are bored or feel tired, KL and I will start playing fruit ninja on the iphones and that would almost certainly annoy JC and she will start scolding us. :D

If God wills that i pass this exams, I will join the rest of my batchmates on 16 Dec for our graduation ceremony. Dear Lord, please help all of us and sustain us in this period of intensive revision. Help us to do our best for Your glory. Amen!

Mater Hospital

At the entrance

Queensland Health Ambulance

A monument in the hospital which symbolised the miracle of healing.

Sunshine Coast Football team

Doctors vs Students match

Earlier days as med students when we were proud to hang our stethoscopes around our necks. :p (Behind: Seremban Hospital)

Two of my best friends. :)