Blog on Life in Medical School
It is always the pride of many parents when they hear their children say they would love to be doctors in future. Many people see medicine as a noble career and a calling. It is a highly respected career that people would love to join or at least have their children joining it. However, there is so much that they do not know about medical school.
Medical school is not like any other school in any university in the world. Unlike other schools where one goes in with a promise of making many friends and having lots of fun in their youthful days, medical school sucks the life out of you. Medical school may make one to lose a social life. The schedule is busy that it is not surprising that one can forget even just calling the most important people in their lives, for instance, parents. Many medical students report losing contact with friends that they had before they joined the school.
The effects of medical school on one’s love life are even more detrimental. Medical school makes one forget what love and relationships are all about. Most medical students who engage in sex do it for the physical pleasure of it. Otherwise, sex is meaningless to most of them.
Research shows that medical students are far more likely than any other university students. In fact, it has been advanced that at any given time, one out of every five medical students has signs of depression (Borst, et al. 349). Further, three-quarters of medical students have suffered depression severe enough to present with mild symptoms at some point in the course (Borst, et al. 6). Cases of psychosis due to severe depression have been reported before (Borst, et al. 6). The depression can stem from anything ranging from the pressure and volume of work to be covered to relationship issues.
Indeed, a medical student brings pride to society. However, if you want to join medical school, you should brace yourself to handle the challenges especially a heavy workload and loss of a real social life. Striking a balance between books and friends and family will prove to be harder than diagnosing a patient.
Work Cited
Borst, Jorien M., et al. “Prevalence and Incidence of Mental Health Problems among Dutch Medical Students and the Study-Related and Personal Risk Factors: A Longitudinal Study.” International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, vol. 28, no. 4, 2016, pp. 349-355, doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2015-0021. Accessed 10 Dec. 2016.
