One Step of Many
Medical student activist Oluwatoni “Toni” Okuboyejo helped organize Jefferson’s White Coats for Black Lives Demonstration.
Jefferson professor of medicine offers words of encouragement during the COVID-19 era.
I feel for you
I feel for the first and second years as you are missing much of the class fun
I feel bad as you are missing some of the anatomy dissection
You are probably doing your classes online
And trying to have “patient experience” and “case-based learnings” through Zoom
I know and remember the excitement that comes with medical school, and I am sorry that you are missing some of it
I feel bad about that
Yes, I do feel for the rising third years in med schools
You were probably so excited to finally have your “own” patients
You were so excited to learn to write your own “progress notes”
And all of that seems to have been put on hold
And for those who are graduating medical school
And of course, for the rising fourth years as well
I feel bad for all of them
In your journey going forward, you will have the opportunity to save many lives.
I have not forgotten the new interns, residents and fellows
And those who finished their training in June
I know you are all very excited for myriad reasons and in myriad ways
And you probably are a little confused as to how things will shape up
And what will happen to you when you are all done
I feel bad for that
But please do not worry
There is no doubt that this new virus has made our lives difficult
There is no doubt it has made our training difficult
And there is no doubt that it has put our lives on hold
But remember, as you wear your mask next time
Be it an N-95, surgical or the PAPR
Remember the lives that have been lost
Not just of health care workers, but people throughout the world
And I bet that after an initial overwhelming weakness, you will feel strong again
You will realize that in your journey going forward, you will have the opportunity to save many lives
And each time you are blessed to have that chance, go for it in full swing
Continue to believe that you can make a difference in this world.
You will be proud that you belong to a group that fought hard with the virus
And that will help you learn things that you think you may have missed
I think this awful virus has taught each one of us something
And make sure, you learn your part of the lesson, and more
Please be safe and careful, but never make a patient feel that you are “afraid of their disease” or that you hesitate to touch and examine them because of their diagnosis
The patient can sense it all
And that will not only make them scared but will do more harm
Don’t forget to display warmth and affection
And remember to spread hope even if you feel there is none
And do not forget the basics of medical teaching
Rest assure that at times, it is possible to not speak the “truth” without lying
Continue to believe that you can make a difference in this world
But above all, remind yourself that your white coat stands for responsibility and privilege
Yes, the privilege to study the art and science of medicine and to use it every day
It is a privilege to know the privileged information of fellow human beings
Respect that privilege
And enjoy your journey
You will, even in the COVID-19 era.
Dr. Cuckoo Choudhary is a professor of medicine at Jefferson.
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