Medical Lecture Series

Well, today I finally got the impression that some plans I've been trying to put into action for sometime are actually workable.

This stems from last year, during which time Senior students at my school (Mohamed and Navin) serendipitously gave me the responsibility of acting as a liaison between the second year students and the doctors whom they had befriended at the hospital. This was a wonderful inroad that they paved, since it gave us students the chance to shadow the doctors at our Affiliated hospitals, and to gain a newfound sense of respect for the professionals allied to our school; but my deepest regret was that there was only a limited number of spaces available for students at the hospital.

I always felt it would be more convenient if the doctors could be brought to the school to present professional lectures before the students. Case presentations were a convenience that most teachers denied us in their theoretical classes, because they just assumed since we'd have to learn it in our 4th year, there was no reason to burden us with it. To tell you the truth, I think adding a little 'humanity' to the large tracts of text that we have to read sometimes help us remember why we chose this career path in the first place.

So, on the one hand, the doctors were ready to come on over, but it was a logistical idiosyncrasy that basically stalled the process. I always felt that something this important would have warranted the use of Xu Guang Hall, a very beautiful hall room within our school that is well suited to hosting multimedia presentations. Alas, I haven't been able to get the venue - I think I've been cursed with the bad luck of missing out during these past two semesters.

Well, today, forgoing the venue, we had the "maiden" presentation by Dr. Teng (Spinal Surgeon extraordinaire), and it reminded me of why I've been trying to get these doctors to come speak to us. He exuded a professional demeanor, an elegance that is testament to the great time he's spent honing his skills and the respect he shows for his craft. I think a lot of students need to see that, particularly when the routine gets a little arduous and boring, or when we begin to doubt that all this learning that we do is worth any good.

It is a blessing to have those in your midst who are gifted with the ability to teach. I look forward to getting more of our esteemed doctors to come speak to us, and I hope that the students can benefit from this experience as much as I have; my hope is renewed.

Thanks be to God