h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

And all the telly-shows make being a student look soooo attractive, especially the "Doctor in the House" ones. While I have no aspirations to medical school, I do fancy a film school...without the arcane intellectualisations; film is meant to entertain and (hopefully) say a little something.

While I don't remember any hygene problems during my 10 intensive months at college, I do remember a problem with sleep and alertness.

Fruitbat

Of all the students I have encountered, Medical Students are the worst. They are generally an over-privileged bunch who are so taken by their own self-importance that they seem to forget that the rest of the universe exists. I mean, I know that they have to work very hard and need to unwind but why do they have to take over entire pubs and exhibit ridiculously juvenile behaviour?

I took English and Film Studies at uni, a lovely course which involved watching lots of films, reading lots of books and writing the occasional essay. Being asked to analyse a film or book does kind of take the mystique out of it a bit and since gaining my 2.1 I have been dismayed to discover that the only job anyone will give me involves answering telephones and typing other peoples letters. So much for the value of an education …..

Oh yeah, I had a few problems with sleep and alertness too – some of those arty films were really boring …

I've not encountered any medical students so I wouldn't know; Art Film, on the other hand, is usually a pretentious excuse for a lack of coherence in thought and execution.
Reminds me of the definition of abstract art: that which is produced by the untalented and sold by the unscrupulous to the utterly bewildered. (Or something very close to that, anyway.)

I, too, have been dismayed to find that my film knowledge is only of interest to other film fans; actually making a film makes little use of it, and most video-shop patrons don't care as long as the film takes their minds off their problems for a couple of hours. (The chain-shops usually feature kids that don't know of any films that are more than five years old, either.)

Fruitbat

You have to remember though that most of the really great stuff in mainstream movies is derived from art films. Look at the way Hitchcock got Salvador Dali to do dream sequences in his films or the fact that 12 Monkeys is a remake of the little known French art film La Jetee. Fortunately in this case both films are wonderful and I didn’t fall asleep during La Jetee – then again, it is only about half an hour long!!

What were we talking about? Oh yes, how annoying students are. Sorry, my ramblings seem to have just proved the very point that was being made

What a load of c**p ! I don't know how many medical students you've ever met - but they have certainly given you the wrong impression.
Medics are a diverse group of previously hard working young people who were forced to swot hard for pointless exams by ambitious parents inorder to get into med school. When they finally arrive there, armed with the intention of being the best student in the year thay suddenly realise that a) everybody else had the same idea, b) everyone else has a better chance than them of being the best and c) all the other students are having fun... FUN !!!! This is word that most medics will only have been permitted to use if all their homework was done up to and beyond the next millenium, they'd not only read ahead in their textbooks but finished at least a chapter of "the orgin of species" that day etc. etc. I think you probably get the point.
Some medics are over-priviledged, some are taken by their own self-importance, but not the majority. Most of us are just out their to have fun and forget that today, for example,just before lunch we were carving up a cadaver of a particularly fat old man whose thoracic cavity had somehow accumulated copious amounts of green, pungent, thick liquid...
Medics are much misunderstood - we're often accused of being cliquey and up ourselves - but in reality it's because we never have a chance to let people know what we're actually like. Mainly because you are all to stubborn to overcome your preconceptions and therefore the old biases continue to propagate, but also because it's hard for us to meet other students/people. We're shut away all day in the medical faculty - barely allowed out to see light of day - and yes we do have to work quite hard out of uni hours too. Its also difficult to talk to non-medics about the tough emotional things we have to face as well like patients dying etc.
I'm sorry if this sounds like an emotional tirade, but it really p*sses me off when people bad mouth medics and tie us all up in the same catagories.

Caty - an irate medical student

Ah me....seems we have hit upon a group to malign and otherwise degrade. Medical students are an interesting lot. I spent years in research and actually two years going to classes with the species. For those who have not had the opportunity, judge and speak not too quickly.

As has been pointed out, there is much to learn in a 24 hour day and at a minimum, med students need the opportunity and time to socialize and reinforce things they saw and heard that day and in previous sessions, hence much of the cliques which appear to spring up.

If you are fortunate enough to be invited to a party with med students....GOGOGO! They work hard a play hard and can be most enjoyable company.

And now to the Great Revelations which all medical students have as they learn their trade. Some have suspected some, but until they have experience.....it is not the same. Tis much like a miracle in reverse:

Revelation #1: Doctors do not have all the answers and skills necessary to preserve life in all situations. This revelation is an interesting intellectual admission until one has spent hours trying to resuscitate a small child or other such emotionally tearing individual and failing.

Revelation #2: Death sucks! The animation of our bodies without life is a pitiful thing to behold, especially when one gets the opportunity from time to time to fool or delay death and hopefully, improve the quality of life as well.

Revelation #3: Doctors are privileged mechanics! Admittedly the mechanism upon which they work and labour is complex and for many of us believed to be inhabited by a soul, but what a doctor does is perform procedures which they learn which are based on the research and experience of others. Worse, it is impossible to keep up with all the new information as it is made available.

Revelation #4: Doctors make mistakes! These can be harmless to life threatening, but one does experience more than a few moments of terror, self doubt and other nasty interior forces when one is made. It does take a very big price on ones ego.

Revelation #5: Doctors need egoes! Actually, it is a level of self confidence which is usually interpreted by most as egoism. The self confidence is for your benefit as well as the doctors. How many of us would care to list to a doctor or med student go "Uh....ummmm....let's see, here", as we lay upon the cold table hurt and bleeding?????

Relevation #6: One can do everything right, procedure, treatment and bed side manner......and people still die for no apparent reason.

Relevation #7: There are more questions than answers when it comes to providing medical care. Boredom is a constant threat since 80% of the patients seen suffer from less than 20% of common day symptoms like mild viruses and the like (unless you're into an particular specialty).

There are other relevations for medcial students as they approach their official titles as Doctors......but many of them have to do with expensive cars, nurses (male and female), bankers, student loans and long lost relatives and not really needed here.

Sincerest regards,

Ken