MedSchool Thoughts: My Medical School Paradox

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

My Medical School Paradox

The more I study, the more enlightened I become.
However, the further I advance in enlightenment,
the more I realise just how little I actually know -
and it is really frustrating...

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Remember to fill in your email address for a quick response - if this is left out, You will have to keep track of my answer in comment form at the post you originally commented on. //Tom J

What the Journal MedSchool Thoughts is all about:

The entries in this digital journal will give me, as the author, an opportunity to process the ordeals and joys of moving to another country in order to accomplish one of the greatest aims in my life; to study medicine and eventually become a M.D.

It is my hope that it will give you, as the reader, an overview of the medical education, eventually tips n' tricks of studying, mind blowing and eye opening tales as well as inspiration to reach your own goals.
Especially important to me is that my family, relatives, friends and enemies can use this journal as a tool in order to stay updated during my time in Czech Republic.

Entries will be written in English since this is a great way for me to practice my writing.
An introduction about me is presented further down in this column and if you are eager to read this journal from the beginning simply click here.

Please feel free to comment, ask questions or give feedback.
Questions not answered in the posts or in comments, or for fast response please send your thoughts to:

medschoolthoughts@gmail.com

What is in my Backpack?

My name is Tom Johannes,

I was born 1988 and raised at the Swedish west coast in Skärhamn at the small island Tjörn, always close to my family, relatives and good friends as well as the salty air and the deep blue ocean of Skagerrak.
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High School
Science/Science
with chemistry & mathematics
[Graduated 2007]
Not caring too much about the world off the island I enjoyed several years of my childhood traveling north to south along the coast with my family during the summer vacations and mostly playing ice-hockey during the winter season.
School was, as far as I can remember, always fun in one way or another and after upper elementary school I made the decision to take science in high school - mostly because I really didn't know what to aim for and science seemed to open up a wider range of further education.
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Military Service
Paramedic Group Leader
Field First Aid Hospital
Paramedic Platoon of
5th Company
P4 Skövde
[Demobilized 2008]
After my graduation in the year of 2007 I signed up for the Swedish Military service and joined the army in 2008. This was by far the best decision I've ever made. Stationed as a Paramedic Group Leader in one of the mobile Field Hospitals of the Swedish Army I got a good insight in the work of military first aid and later also got a solid education in the basics of field medicine.
During the Soldier training program I was chosen to handle the platoon security matters when it came to work environment, safety and field medicine equipment.
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Practice in ER
University Hospital of Linköping
[One month of practice]
The military education program also contained a month of practice in an Emergency Room (E.R) and by choosing the E.R of Linköpings University Hospital I got a great insight in the work of Medical Doctors in live action. This overwhelming and utterly inspiring experience completely arouse my interest for medicine and triggered myself to think: "perhaps becoming a doctor is possible after all..."
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Photojournalism
Local newspapers
[2008-2009]
After that my excitement sort of faded and I moved off the island and began working, simultaneously along with my summer season work down at the docks in Skärhamn, as a freelancing photojournalist for local newspapers.
This gave me extremely good experience in writing, composing articles, taking quick notes and sorting out important fact from less important fact.
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PreMedical Studies
by. Dr. Moshe Cohen
Stockholm, Sweden
[Graduated 2010]
I grew tired of the work as a photographer and I really couldn't see myself doing that in the future.
The thoughts about Medicine slowly began but I didn't know how to make my way to Medical School. So what I slowly started to set my goals. I knew about a PreMedical course with kick off in January, 2010.
I really wanted to try it, since going abroad would be my only chance - due to the fact that I lack of two grade points in the Swedish application system of Medicine education.
The course was held in Stockholm, with all lectures in English, covering basic anatomy/physiology, physics, chemistry and biology.
I wrote the first entry of this journal (back then called "Let the Autopsy Begin") at the 1st of October the autumn of 2009.
This was just before the course began and right after I'd made up my mind; so to get the full story about the PreMed just begin to read this journal from the very first post.
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General Master's Medicine
1st Faculty of Medicine
Charles University
Prague, Czech Republic
The following year I completed my studies at a PreMedical School in Stockholm and a way to get in to Medical School changed from impossible into totally possible. The course aimed for admission at Charles University, Prague or Zagreb University of Medicine.
The final exam of the PreMed was the actual entrance exam to both the universities and I got applied to them both.
I chose Charles over Zagreb mainly for ranking and personal recommendation. Most of my colleagues from the course did chose the same.
My studies at Charles University began the autumn of 2010 and is scheduled to end in the spring of 2016, thus I am currently in the 4th year of my education.
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My personal answer to

the inevitable question:

"Why do you want to become a doctor?":

Ever since my younger brother was born with 22q11-Deletion Syndrome, a common but yet rather unknown genetic disorder, the presence of medicine and doctors have always been a part of me and my family's everyday life situation. I believe that this planted the seed of interest to later on blossom and mature during my time in the army and especially in the E.R. I was there attending the work of both nurses and doctors under different scenarios and this made me realise what I wanted to aim for.

I don't have anyone practising the profession in my family or among my relatives but the support from back home is still enormous.

One of the most important thing is that I'm doing this on my own, driven by my own motivation - because I believe that's what it takes to go through this - one have to be in this with all one's heart.

Last but not least, I am confident in myself and I utterly believe that I will be good in what I am studying to become.