"All I did was work, work and work. Doctors are truly the worst patients."
“I was giving advice on healthy living and mental health stability during the day while adopting a toxic lifestyle charged with sleep deprivation, not taking proper meals, not prioritizing my home life and mainly not caring about my own mental health through the night. All I did was work, work and work. Doctors are truly the worst patients.
I think my need to work excessively has been stemmed from the rigorous academic structure in medical school – from getting admitted to a school to hectic schedules, meticulous coursework, and long work hours. While doctors are certainly glorified in this country the ground reality couldn’t be different.
I recently graduated medical school and being a doctor has been a childhood dream. Being a doctor does fulfil me especially on days when I’m appreciated for the work I do for instance when I was commended for taking care of a 10-year-old girl who had severely burned her arm- I had been calm with her and stayed 2 hours beyond my shift to make sure she was well. The father had applauded my work ethic and that has truly made me proud of myself. But not all patients are nice, some demand services while some verbally abuse you for not giving them attention while you’re caring for patients in the emergency room by yourself. And the abuse does take a toll.
Currently I’m focusing on myself, along with work and I try to put myself before anything else. I have a new hobby making videos and taking pictures – I aim to spread awareness and happiness through them. In this constant race of keeping up and not missing out, I’ve now truly come to the realization that I need to take care of myself and be the person who I want to be. I may reach my goals differently than traditionally expected but at least I’ll enjoy the journey and not run towards it blindly.”
