ME: Hi, I’m M, I’m a fifth-year medical student from South Africa-
HIM/HER: So that’s like a Public Health Major?
ME: Not quite, I do an MB.ChB. which is a Bachelor’s of Medicine and a Bachelor’s of Surgery-
HIM/HER: So you’re pre-med?
ME: No… I a medical student. We do Medicine as a six year undergraduate degree.
HIM/HER: Will that make you a real doctor one day?
I try very hard not to get frustrated. This is one of the things I really should have anticipated, being on a ship where the vast majority of students follow the USA College Model. Even the computer system has me registered as a Public Health Major, which tells me that I may be the first honest-to-God undergraduate medical student that’s done a full voyage. Which makes me worry if maybe there’s a reason they’ve never done it before: maybe the plate is supposed to be full enough as it is. I know I’m already struggling to keep up with work from back at home and work on the ship.
I try not to place my worth in being classified as a medical student, but it has taken many years for me to become comfortable with my place in the medical field and it’s hard when that’s questioned so often now.
That sounds frustrating!
I went to a summer program in Europe where I was the only person doing the whole North American system thing and thus was the only one not in a 6 year direct entry program. So, I was “old” compared to almost everyone and they all initially questioned my competence because I wasn’t in school as long as the others.
Why is this funny to me? I always forget that the 6 year model isn’t done everywhere. When I applied for my U.S. visa last month, my interviewer kept trying to ascertain what I ‘meant’ by ‘doctor’ and ‘medicine’!
But do your thing, hope your having fun otherwise.
Yeah, when things get like that, there’s pretty much one thing you need to consider:
How many people on board is halfway to becoming a kickass doctor?
Yeah. Straight up. B)