Table of Contents
Introduction
“Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim, swim.” – Dory
As a pre-med student, there will likely be many challenges and obstacles to overcome on the path to becoming a doctor. These may include difficult coursework, long hours of studying, and intense competition for medical school admissions. In the face of these challenges, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged.
However, Dory’s quote serves as a reminder to keep moving forwards despite the obstacles we face. Premed students can cultivate this sense of resilience and faith in their future to develop a positive attitude toward their goals.
All of us aspiring physicians have all hit our low points in our path to medicine, whether it is receiving an unsatisfactory MCAT score, failing a class, or just having to fill out numerous secondary applications only to be rejected. It can feel like there are little potholes all along the way on this bumpy, winding road to achieving that med-school acceptance.
I personally have struggled with keeping the vision of becoming a physician close to my heart every time I come across a “failure”, or what feels like it, in my time as an undergrad student. Having to accept that I failed a class or didn’t achieve what I set out for myself feels extremely disappointing, but with small mindset shifts and collecting experiences, I have learned to be able to tap into embracing the discomfort and to just keep swimming.
Resilience and The Power of Hope
Hope is one of the most well-researched cognitive models that is made of three main components: goal agency and pathway thinking, as defined by the Hope Theory. Higher hope has been shown to consistently be related to better outcomes in academics, athletics, and physical health. The Hope Theory breaks down agency as the motivation to pursue one’s goals, pathway thinking as the ability to find new ways to achieve one’s goals, and goals as the final outcome.
According to the National Library of Medicine, findings on hope from various studies show that it can be leveraged as a resilience factor to not only help your grades and keep you motivated but also for your overall wellness in times of turmoil. Hope is a superpower that can be tapped into at all times of struggle to help you hold on till you hit that milestone along your pre-med journey.
Perseverance and Smelling the Roses along the Journey
Oftentimes, we adopt the mentality of putting our heads down and just getting through the hardship. It’s tempting to give into hustle culture and take no breaks, simply because it markets this idea of constant efficiency and productivity. However, on the flip side of the coin, it can also make individuals more vulnerable to feelings of burnout and seeing the journey to medicine as long and suffering.
I’m not saying productivity is bad, but we should find time to embrace the difficulty of the journey and recognize that exhaustion is too real when we don’t take a small break to validate our small achievements. There are many small wins along the way that might not directly show the number of your GPA or MCAT, but are still worth giving yourself a pat on the back for so that you can continue to “just keep swimming”.
Setting small goals and working through them is a method that I found much more encouraging and mentally satisfying for myself as I keep pioneering forward. It is easy to see the large goal of needing to get published, achieving an MCAT score, or needing 200 volunteer hours before applying to medical school, etc. Another perspective of approaching a large goal is setting smaller goals that are consistent and achievable. For example, set yourself to do 2-3 hours of service work or shadowing with a physician a week. Over time it should hopefully be a fulfilling and enjoyable experience that you can take inspiration from instead of being a “requirement” for your resume. It may take some effort to break down your larger goal into smaller steps, but it allows you to take your time and smell the roses along your journey.
Being adaptable
Feeling shame and self-doubt after not receiving the results you wanted or when you feel like you are at a low point is normal, but using this opportunity to recollect and reattempt is extremely valuable. Instead of viewing it as an opportunity you did not achieve to its fullest potential, shift your perspective to seeing these feelings of disappointment and negative emotions as an opportunity in itself to change your behaviors and thoughts.
It’s crucial to see that poor performance or wasted time is not a true reflection of you as a student or person, but rather it sets you up with the right set of circumstances to adapt and practice resilience.
Sometimes things just don’t go as we had planned because not everything is in our control. All the things that being a human bring like break-ups, bad grades, rejections, getting fired, and more life events all hold us back sometimes from achieving our goal in the linear planned path. The best thing to do at the moment is to make the decision which is going to be the most productive for you at the moment, whether that is rest or returning to the desk to study more.
We as pre-meds are not only students, but have a life outside of school. We are incredibly driven go-getters, but we must have the space to show ourselves compassion. I would label this being a “compassionate self-critic”, being someone who can push themself to be an improved self when needed but also being able to slow down and practice self-empathy.
Conclusion
The path to becoming a doctor is full of challenges and obstacles that can be overwhelming and discouraging. From studying for the MCAT to completing clinical experience hours, pre-medical students must be willing to put in the effort required to reach their goals. However, it is essential to cultivate resilience and hope to develop a positive attitude towards achieving goals. That may mean giving yourself grace or pushing yourself to your best, but regardless showing yourself compassion and a positive attitude throughout. Higher hope is related to better outcomes, setting small achievable goals, being adaptable, and practicing self-compassion are critical elements in persevering through the journey to becoming a physician. Ultimately, it is essential to remember Dory’s quote and “just keep swimming” despite the difficulties encountered.
by Muskaan Dhillion