Welcome!

So you’ve arrived. You’re at the beginning of a serious adventure. And it all starts now, so I hope you’re excited!

For everyone who goes through the process of considering, deciding on, working for, applying for, and waiting (and waiting, and waiting) for a place in graduate medicine, actually starting can seem surreal.  It can be hard to believe, and hard to get used to.  And it will undoubtedly be complicated, busy, and full on.  But you know that it will be worth it and at the end of the day, you’ll feel exhausted but also satisfied and happy, confirming that you’ve made the right choice.

Those are some of the things I felt when I started medicine, and throughout the year, not much has changed.  There have been ups and downs, but in general, studying medicine has been an incredible combination of challenging and rewarding, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

And from speaking to medical students in other year levels and to doctors, this combination seems to be a recurring theme in medicine.  There will always be the night shifts, the patients you lose, the difficult consultants, and the tough cases.  And it turns out studying medicine is really HARD – it all moves at an unbelievably fast pace.  All these difficulties are unavoidable, as are the low points of any job.  But the beauty of practising medicine is that these parts of the job become much more bearable, when you realise how rewarding and special our job is.  I know I’m preaching to the converted here, but this is something that’s become even clearer during the year I’ve spent here so far.  As someone who has come from a scientific background, I have been blown away at the way patients treat medical students and clinical staff in general.

Last but not least, one final piece of advice.  Medicine will consume a lot of focus and effort, but try and avoid falling into the trap of letting your life become one dimensional.  You don’t have to be a superhero, but maintaining interests and a life outside of university will enable you to cope with the inevitable pressure of the course, and set you up well for a balanced life in the many years of medicine that are ahead of you.

Once again, congratulations and welcome to Deakin Graduate Medicine!

Cheers,

Tegan Dobbie

MEDUSA President 2011
president@medusa.org.au