What makes a good medical student? Christopher Chi, a foundation graduate of the Curtin Medical School has a few ideas.
So what does make a good medical student? Obvious answers may spring to mind – being kind, compassionate, able to auscultate a 2/6 grade heart murmur in a noisy ED (OK, maybe not that last one). While these might all be true, being a good medical student, and indeed being a good doctor, is much more than this.
As I reflect on the past five years at Curtin Medical School, I can’t help but be grateful for all the lessons I have learnt from Australia’s newest medical school.
It was 2017 when I got my first taste of what was to come. I was a wide-eyed high school graduate keen to learn and grow my medical knowledge. Having just moved from Sydney, I also took every opportunity to embrace the culture of WA including the reduced pace, the fantastic beaches, and a bit of footy fever!
On the first day of our orientation, our cohort of 60 packed into the newly-opened medical building. Our excitement was auscultable! We were told that we would be the future of healthcare in WA, meeting the needs of every West Australian. These were obviously hefty words for a group of mostly 17 to 18-year-olds but we were keen and ready to take this challenge head-on.
We began our learning with a medical student staple – cellulitis. Curtin’s curriculum was structured heavily around the problem-based learning model, where students receive information about a patient in a gradual way, giving time to ask questions in a logical and ordered manner.
As an example, we might have only been given a bit of information about a patient’s rash and had to figure out what questions we would ask them before we received the next prompt. After we completed the topic, we had to research a certain aspect of the condition, returning a week later to present it to our colleagues. This was a fantastic way of making content dynamic and engaging while also making it necessary for us to learn enough to explain and teach it to our peers.
From cellulitis, we moved to the cardiovascular system, the musculoskeletal system, and the renal system, covering anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and much more along the way.
As we learnt more, we grew more confident in our ability to make connections between body systems and how they interact with one another. However, we were far from perfect as we collectively discovered after our first exam, being unable to collectively identify a myocardial infarction.
Nevertheless, we pressed on, gradually coming to realise that although we didn’t know everything, there was always support from staff and mentors. We learnt that it was OK to ask for help, especially when we didn’t know what was wrong.
Along with our studies, we also had the opportunity to start up the students’ society. Curtin Association of Medical Students was founded in our first year, with a goal of bringing students together, supporting them through formal events, and helping develop a sense of camaraderie.
As the founding secretary, I tried to help any way I could, whether it was sending emails reminding people to come to an upcoming movie night or getting fellow peers interested in social sport. Being part of a student society was helpful in teaching me the importance of rest and socialising.
So where to now? I look forward to starting a job next year as a medical intern at St John of God Midland Hospital. Beyond that, I can’t say where life will take me, but having gone through as part of the first cohort of a new medical school, I can safely say that I will go forward with the skills necessary to thrive as a doctor.
So, going back to what makes a good medical student? While kindness, compassion and a good ear are necessary, being able to ask for help, knowing how to rest and having a desire to teach are all great attributes too.