Need support during your medical training journey? Β Check out these resources for free, confidential support:
peer support for physicians and medical students:Β Physician Support Line
Email Tune Rx founder J.C. Sue at:tunerx97531@gmail.com
ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
Tune Rx founder J.C. Sue’s bike loaded to bike the last few miles to his new medical school apartment in July 2015
Medical training has often been described as a marathon and not a sprint.Β Β I would agree with that and also say that itβs a journey to be enjoyed as much as possible.Β Β Though it has plenty of stressful moments, if youβre going into it for the right reasons, itβs also a unique opportunity to learn about topics of interest to you, explore new places, and meet many good people along the way.
A year and a half after college, my medical training journey began with a literal journey when I took a Greyhound bus trip from California to Alabama to move for medical school.Β Β I got to see a lot of interesting scenery along the way, from desert rock formations in New Mexico to countless skyscrapers in Texas to cotton fields in Alabama.Β Β Iβd never been to any part of the southwest or southeast U.S. before, so I considered the trip an adventure.Β Β Two and a half days later, I stepped off the bus into the Alabama summer heat and humidity and enjoyed a sweaty 5 mile ride to the school apartments on my full size folding bike with all my luggage.Β Β Though flying to Alabama would have saved a lot of time, it would have cost about $600 more and not been as much of an adventure.Β Β For practicality I wouldnβt want to routinely travel by bus all the way across the country, but Iβm glad I got the experience of doing it at least once.
Medical training introduced me to a wide variety of people and places.Β Β Preclinical instructors I especially remember include the pathologist who drove 100 miles each way commuting between his home in Tallahassee, FL and the medical school in Dothan, AL, the microbiology professor who practically made every lecture a stand up comedy act, the physiology professor who was also a yoga instructor, and the incredibly smart physician lecturer who was double board certified in family medicine and dermatopathology.Β Β During my clinical years of medical school I continued to meet memorable instructors, including the radiologist who jokingly told me that the hospital he worked at used to do brain transplants, the ENT physician who could remember practicing medicine back when he was allowed to use 3 by 5 cards for his notes, and the OB/GYN physician who drove so fast that he couldβve been a great NASCAR driver if he hadnβt gone into medicine.Β Β Though these people and all the others I met had their own quirks, they all knew how to practice good medicine in their specialties and showed me that maintaining your unique self is always possible, even during a standardized intense experience such as medical training.Β Β Meeting and learning from all of them made my medical training journey more enjoyable.
Wherever you complete your medical training and whomever you meet along the way, I encourage you to enjoy the journey as much as you can.Β Β Inevitably there will be stressful moments due to the intense nature of medical training, but there will likely be plenty of happy and humorous moments, as well.Β Β Even though as a student I was looking forward to finishing medical training and going into my career of choice, I had many enjoyable experiences during that time, and if youβre currently in medical training, I encourage you to look for the enjoyable experiences in yours.