Does Your Med School Really Matter?

Does your school really matter when it comes to Medicine?

Maybe. Maybe not.

I had one such encounter with a friend, and this is how it went...

X: hey, how is med school?

Me: im doing good, but this 2nd year was really really difficult for me. I struggled a lot with most of the subjects.

X: i dont think so. I think its easier for you.

Me: ( kind of confused with her statement, but  continued with the small talk) i guess, the level of difficulty is different for you and me since im in 2nd year, and you're in (X) year.

X: No, i mean, its easier at your school, unlike our school which is really competitive and our performance in the boards are better.

Me: (struggling to control my anger, but i just smiled) why do you say its easier at our school? 

X: a friend said so. You know how it is with your school.

The conversation went on for several minutes with X continuing on with her condescending bashing. This was a friend, and i had no idea where this was coming from. It all started off with her just asking how i was doing, and then boom, roundhouse kick to my dignity and to my school. 

I defended my school by saying that the teaching and the doctor lecturers are just the same as in any medical school, and i dont see how she could say it was easier at dlshsi. I cant say anything else about her school because I've never been there, and I know nothing else about the quality of teaching and whatnot, except for their impeccable passing rate in the physicians licensure. Ok fine, you guys are better in terms of performance, but in the end does that really matter? They'd say that only the nonperforming  schools would use a lame excuse like, " depende na yan sa student/doctor" (it all depends on the student/ doctor) or "wala naman yan sa school e, nasa estudyante na yan" ( its not the school. Its the student) . 

I believe in both, plus the fact that HSI is a very good medical school. It might not be attaining the best of the passing rates, or isnt at the level of UP, PLM, UST, ATENEO, CIM, and the like, but its getting there. And what matters to me at the end of the day is that i become a doctor. 

A patient may ask what school i went to, and might prefer other doctors with a different medical school background, but in the end, the patient will always come back to the doctor who treated them well. Treatment meaning not just the actual diagnosis, laboratories, medications, but the overall care and concern for the person. 

Your school will give you an edge in certain areas, but its up to you to determine what kind of doctor you want to be. 

Like X, her statements are not a judgement of her school, but her CHARACTER. i still admire her school, and every other medical school out there who are making a gigantic effort to mold and develop us into competent, excellent, caring doctors, but what you say and do can only reflect yourself.

All the medical schools are on the same playing field, with the same curriculum, same schedule, same content, same textbooks, etc. So where does it differ? Well, The doctors who teach you, and the students. The doctors are all excellent, with years and years of experience, and a lot actually teach in several different medical schools. So, its down to the students. What kind of student are you?

Back to one point of my friend concerning the passing rates of my school and her school. What is the difference between two doctors who passed the Physician's licensure exam but are of two different medical schools?

NONE.

Yup, NONE. because both of you are FREAKIN DOCTORS NOW. Both of you passed the very same exam, with the same gruelling effort, blood, sweat, and tears. I dont care if you came from this school, or that school, but if you act like an a**hole about it, i might as well slap the living daylights out of you.

But i wont. 

What you said is a reflection of your character, and no prestigious school will be able to make up for your lack of it.

So, to you X, and to many many more others like you, I hope you realize we are not competitors when it comes to taking care of our patients. Our patients deserve better than that.

Update: this is an excellent post from an awesome awesome site The Importance of Medical School Reputation at Anastomosed.wordpress.com. :)