JOIN USHeart pounding, misgivings aplenty and trepidation gripping every inch of me, I stood near the bus stop, waiting for the arrival of the college bus. It was my first day of medical school and I was still unsure of the choice of professional course that I had made. After much dithering, I had finally zeroed in on medicine, with engineering taking back seat.
My heart skipped a beat as I sighted the distinct, yellow-hued medical college bus. My mind started racing… “How would I fare in the course, which isn’t considered a cakewalk? Would I be able to get along with my peers? And the seniors?” With ragging being rampant in every college, the very thought sent shivers down my spine.
My mind clouded with multiple thoughts as I boarded the bus. I managed to find myself a seat in an unobtrusive corner. Prayer on my lips, fingers crossed, I wondered whether I’d see the day through unscathed. At that moment, a few seniors in the bus approached me. Looking rather genial, they tried to dispel my fears, palpable on my face. With a skeptical look, I tried speaking politely, but only incoherent gurgles spilled from my mouth! Feeling amused, they decided to leave me to myself.
Finally, as the bus entered the portals of the institute, and as I took in the massive hospital building on the sprawling campus area, my initial apprehension vanished. Slowly, I made my way towards the college block, my heart thudding faster with each step I took. Along with my new friends, whom I had met at the entrance, I marched towards the classrooms – all of us resembling soldiers heading to some warzone.
Well, that was years ago. After that, the time went fleeting by with frenetic speed. Five and a half years later, I was prepared to bid adieu to my alma-mater. On the last day of my medical course, I felt bombarded by nostalgia – unforgettable times spent with amazing friends, the thrill of swotting and successfully sailing through annual exams, the tongue-titillating canteen food (pun unintended), the innumerable un/planned outings, trips/tours, the staggering working hours during internship, not to discount, the shudders on seeing stench-emanating cadavers for the first time…
Fast forward to the present. A few months ago, I felt a sense of déjà-vu with the same trepidation seizing me, as I stepped into the portals of Karnataka’s top hospital, to do my postgraduation in medicine in the surgical field.
Now, after having comfortably acclimatised myself to this new ambience, indeed, I consider myself singularly fortunate to be surrounded by several competent and super-dynamic senior doctors, amicable hospital authorities and the ever-graceful Sister Superior, all of whom, besides being my godfathers/ mothers, have made my learning and working supremely enjoyable and interesting. Truly, I’m eternally beholden to all of them.