Tuesday 26 July 2016

Just Keep Building

Hello Friends!

Quick turn around for another post from me but I’ve got some inspiration for some more writing/procrastinating.

I got some pretty exciting news yesterday and I’ll officially post it on this blog - but I’ve been asked to be the Prime Minister (President) for the Canadian Students Society! Words can’t even describe how excited and happy I am to be able to take a leadership role in this club and work along side some of my amazing friends.

I'd just like to take a moment and reflect as to why I'm so grateful not only for the Canadian Students Society but for being in medical school and living out my dream of becoming a Doctor.

In high school I was a very active student member. Coming from a smaller all girls high school it was very easy to get involved in the school community. I did plays, ran the robotics team, was selected to be a prefect, was on the May Court, helped out with school events... You get the drift.

For various reasons everything changed in my undergrad. I wasn't involved in any clubs let alone never dreamt about taking a leadership role in any aspect of my time there. Just to clarify, it had nothing to do with the school itself. The Applied Health Sciences Faculty was amazing - the smallest faculty on campus - we had a very home like feel to all of our events and throughout all of our buildings.

My confidence was stripped. I isolated myself. I didn't think I could be a part of a team and I didn't want to be. I didn't think I could be a leader, not in a group project let alone in a club.

For various reasons, I wasn’t the same active student body member that I was before. My friends who knew me from high school noticed the shift and honestly there was nothing anyone could really do to bring my confidence back up to where it was before. It was hard, going from being someone who was so actively involved to someone who went to classes and labs and that was it. No extra curriculars, no clubs, no teams - nothing. Until I found a volunteering position working with cancer patients that made me want to get more involved. Mind you at this point joining anything was a big deal for me. And I will be forever thankful to all of my patients at Well Fit, as much as you say I helped you, you helped to shape me into the future doctor I am today.

I was thinking about my 18/19 year old self and how she would react if I told her that she would be in medical school, and she would be loving it. She would gain her confidence to take on leadership roles again and most importantly she would be genuinely happy.

The thought brought me to tears.

I asked a lot of friends whether I should post this more personal blog and I got a resounding yes. Then I realized how happy an 18/19 year old Jen would be if she read something like this when she wasn't feeling her best.


For anyone who may be thinking about applying to medical school but is doubting themselves or doesn’t believe that they can do it - if you want it badly enough you will do it. And you will succeed. Once you start doing what you love the confidence and the happiness just falls into place.

- Jen

4 comments:

  1. Ross nice. I went there. I came from a background paying bills all the way through school and med school. Yes I had businesses on Internet while at ross. Get ready if you make it through for the world against paying doctors for their sacrifice. All those hrs every day down there studying should pay off . However, you will find society is not the same integrity as most doctors and they could care less about your sacrifice. When insurance companies want to pay you $20 , how can one justify paying loans and all those years sacrifice 80-100hr weeks , limited sleep bad health for drs , high stress, for what . Highest divorse and suicide rate for a profession atm are medical doctors , for a reason. A human must feel a sense of reward in various ways to keep their Chemistry balanced. Drs are getting shafted . However, in life we don't get what we deserve , we get what we can negotiate . Drs have all the leverage in the world. My school loans are over 400k , again I'm a unique med student , one who had to work all the way through. Tell dr. Smolenoff dr blanchetot helllllo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ross nice. I went there. I came from a background paying bills all the way through school and med school. Yes I had businesses on Internet while at ross. Get ready if you make it through for the world against paying doctors for their sacrifice. All those hrs every day down there studying should pay off . However, you will find society is not the same integrity as most doctors and they could care less about your sacrifice. When insurance companies want to pay you $20 , how can one justify paying loans and all those years sacrifice 80-100hr weeks , limited sleep bad health for drs , high stress, for what . Highest divorse and suicide rate for a profession atm are medical doctors , for a reason. A human must feel a sense of reward in various ways to keep their Chemistry balanced. Drs are getting shafted . However, in life we don't get what we deserve , we get what we can negotiate . Drs have all the leverage in the world. My school loans are over 400k , again I'm a unique med student , one who had to work all the way through. Tell dr. Smolenoff dr blanchetot helllllo

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sorry for the double post , phone acting up. I had a few clients texting me . Anyways , drs need to study , research , intern with good business gurus . Drs are very poor minds in business . Business is an extremely important aspect in life. Poor business with drs has a trickle Klein down effect on everyone's financial freedom in Healthcare. It's horrid integrity for drs not to better themselves in this facet. In business you have bad clients and employees . In medicine you have the same bad patients aka clients and employees . In business you must weed out poor clients and employees . In medicine you must weed out bad patients or find yourself in fraudulent lawsuits that they will win bc if how the system is set up. Schools are a business - a business to attract students to thinking that books means everything - well it's like a cult - however clever on schools part. Drs need to be smart as they claim . Dr are smart with the grind as you see down there , we'll there is another grind in the real world after school. But hey you need to focus on all your power points now .. worry about all this later. GL

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sorry for the double post , phone acting up. I had a few clients texting me . Anyways , drs need to study , research , intern with good business gurus . Drs are very poor minds in business . Business is an extremely important aspect in life. Poor business with drs has a trickle Klein down effect on everyone's financial freedom in Healthcare. It's horrid integrity for drs not to better themselves in this facet. In business you have bad clients and employees . In medicine you have the same bad patients aka clients and employees . In business you must weed out poor clients and employees . In medicine you must weed out bad patients or find yourself in fraudulent lawsuits that they will win bc if how the system is set up. Schools are a business - a business to attract students to thinking that books means everything - well it's like a cult - however clever on schools part. Drs need to be smart as they claim . Dr are smart with the grind as you see down there , we'll there is another grind in the real world after school. But hey you need to focus on all your power points now .. worry about all this later. GL

    ReplyDelete