Message to the Graduates

 

Distinguished guests, the Board of Trustees, the Administrative Staff, Members of the Faculty, dear parents, friends, fellow graduates, good evening.

 

On this memorable occasion, I stand with mixed emotions, for today is finally our graduation. There is the pride of having completed our medical course after years of painstaking study, and thus being able to put M.D.s beside our names. There is the sadness of parting with our teachers and friends who have made our student lives bearable, and there is the overwhelming anxiety that comes to every graduate of medicine, crystallizing into one big question…”Have I acquired enough wisdom to handle patients?”

 

I wonder…how many of the parents gathered here have been with their children during those agonizing years? How many of you really understood and empathized with us? Spending sleepless nights was no guarantee for us to pass an exam, but somehow, being already graduates of another course, we were expected to pass these exams. And as Medicine is a very expensive course, we were pressured all the more to do so.

 

Indeed, we thought we were ready for clerkship after those years of theoretical studies. However, during the most awaited final hurdle, we discovered we had a lot more to learn. It was music to our ears when we were first addressed by patients and hospital personnel as “Dr.” or “Dra.”, but we could not soar high, being brought back to the ground by such remarks as “booper!” accompanying reprimand during endorsement rounds and conferences. There was the irony of we being addressed by the nurses as “doctors” as they asked us to measure urine output, oftentimes with our bare hands because no gloves were available, or as they teach us the proper way of NGT and Foley catheter insertion  or offer to insert the IV lines because we had had enough tries. Indeed we often told ourselves, “Na-stuck ang stock knowledge ko.” But everything contributed to the development of the virtues of humility, patience, industry, and diligence – a servant attitude – in each one of us, and all of us learned the importance of teamwork in this profession.

 

However, in front of our relatives and families we had to put up a façade of medical intellect. Call it pride if you may, but that is what is expected of us because this course is very expensive. Some of my friends have parents who are fully supportive, but there are some whose parents are wondering whether their kids are honest in using their money. In my own experience, food accounted for most of my daily expenses, especially during clerkship, as the duties can really drain one’s energy. I would have wanted to earn money at least for my food allowance, but it would be next to impossible, because life as a clerk revolves around the hospital: history, PE, progress notes, discharge summaries, labs, books, rounds, case conferences…Six straight hours of sleep was already a luxury, especially for those of us who have the additional job of parenting. The only thing we could really indulge in was food (so one either loses or gains weight.)

 

Then the ultimate step: Revalida. We tried our best in hospital duties, mastering discipline, punctuality, and responsibility, yet we were not assured of graduation unless we pass the Revalida exams. Waiting for the results was almost unbearable, but with the help of the faculty, our friends, our own learning experiences, and prayers… we made it!

 

May I take advantage of this occasion to congratulate my fellow graduates for a job well done. This is not the end. It is the beginning of growing up in the world of medicine. Let not familiarity of cases we’ve seen turn us into heartless doctors. Let us imagine the face of our children during ambubagging, or of our parents while dressing a diabetic’s gangrenous wound. How would you want a patient treated if he was your relative? And there’s no telling when we ourselves will be patients. Let us be instruments towards the fulfillment of national goals, be inspired by the virtually eradicated polio. Let us share ourselves with those indigents who played the greatest role in our acquisition of skills. We must try to utilize our intellectual assets in contributing to the integrity of this profession, which is most noble to all.

 

To my mentors who have patiently prepared us physically, morally and mentally, sharing their wisdom yet showing us that doctors cannot play God, I am grateful. To my parents, friends and relatives who offered financial and emotional support, I am equally indebted. To our Alma Mater which has sustained us for all formative years, I express my boundless gratitude. I personally thank the Administrative staff for giving me the chance to become a doctor for free. To my son Patrick who has inspired me and kept me going, this is for you. And above all, I thank the Lord for bringing out the strength which I never imagined I possessed. I reiterate my pledge of deeper commitment to the realization of the national goals in serving humanity, because in so doing, we are serving God. Glory be to Him who makes all things possible!

 

Thank you and good evening.

 

 

 

Back to My Poems (and Others) Page