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Perceptions: A Medical Musing

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With due apologies to Charles Dickens, the time has come to tell a A Tale of Two  Stereotypes of Students-Medicos and Non Medicos, or a Maulanian and an ideal Delhi University student. The opening of the Tale of Two Cities sounds eerily contemporaneous: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times- it was the age of masti and friendship, it was the age of seriousness and studies, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of dillagi, it was the season of exams; it was the spring of fun, it was the winter of tutorials..”

Although they are a part of one of the most coveted and happening universities of the county, that is, Delhi University, medical colleges like Maulana Azad Medical College have always been treated as a hub of bespectacled Homo Medicus. We have often been looked upon as boring nerds. Maybe the dreadful sizes of our books and our never ending medical talks, which are not even comprehensible to our non-medical friends, justifies it to a point. But don’t judge this book by its cover.
The intricacies of a life of a medico can’t be described in words – one second you are cutting open the chest of a person, and their relatives thank you for saving their life, and in another second you are partying hard with your friends at the most happening location in the city. The transition isn’t as smooth as it seems.When bones break, organs burst and flesh tears, we can sew the flesh, repair the damage and ease the pain. But when life breaks down, there are no hard and fast rules. We just have to feel our way through.

Often branded as extraordinary amalgamations of grey matter, Maulanians are not the same as they were when they first entered the college.This place has a charm which leads to the evolution of everyone in its premises. Welcome to the first hand experiences of medicos – where through the years, we not only grow as humans, but also into distinct entities.

The first day of transition of a student into a ‘med student’ is marked by putting on a white coat and taking selfies with it. 1st year is all about getting to know a human being- not philosophically, but biologically. Mind you again, it is not introspection, it is dissection! This is the period where the seed of passion for truly learning medicine is sown. 2nd of MBBS is a crucial time, wherein you start becoming a budding doctor. It is real patients with real diseases and real drugs to give them. It is the addition of the stethoscope to your attire. This is the time where something as little as a running nose or headache can make you think of all the possible causes and complications of the same. You leave nothing from consideration – seasonal viral or tuberculosis or even cancer! You are your own first patient. Even the first lubb-dubb heard on the stethoscope is first your own, and a normal heartbeat gradually becomes the favourite melody of a physician. The last two years are countless hours  spent taking histories of our patients – running our brain endlessly to figure out what went wrong, and more importanly, ways to make it right. This is when we start forming long-term goals and considering post graduation and practice. It is also the time where we realise that doctors plays a much greater role in the society than just healing. It is realising that huge responsibilities rest upon our shoulders. Doesn’t sound fun, right?

However, this is a profession where our decisions directly impact someone’s quality of life, and sometimes even their existence. We may seem dangerously over-educated but there is another facet to our personality, a perception which is generally hidden and that only a few can look into. Just like a coin has 2 sides, so does our life. For it’s not all work and no play, and there’s a pretty good reason why we guys are a part of DU! The adrenaline rush of walking into a medical college was not all in vain. Yes, the endless torrent of exams does confine to the library for long hours, but that doesn’t keep us from partying once it’s over. The hours of our ‘formalin laden’ dissection hall prove to be the foundation of the strongest relationships (believe it or not!) You may get high by those round the clock booze parties, but for us, just an acquaintance asking for some medical advice seems to suffice. We may be cut off from the rest of DU, but our celebrations engender envy even in the wildest of parties. Agreed, we have to read fat books, undergo ward rotations, are caught up in serious attendance issues, and above all, try to pass our exams with a legible handwriting. Finding time for non medico friends is a challenge itself. But we are courageous enough to follow our dreams into the storms they takes us to.

We still paint when we come back from classes, watch all the latest TV series and movies.We watch House MD with the same interest as we watch Suits.We can talk about the episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S in just a timespan of 2 mins after it begins. We groove to Honey Singh’s and Badshah’s latest tracks, BYD is among our favourite hangouts, we do flock Mystery Rooms, and indulge in late night parties and night outs. We even sneak out of the lectures through a proxy and also have the gossip mongers who keep on entertaining us with the latest updates around the campus.

True, a stethoscope around the neck and the trust of a patient entail a humongous responsibility on our shoulders. But, as we live up to that, we work hard and party harder. We leave no inch of Delhi unvisited, no pubs untouched and at the same time, no tasks unattended. For life doesn’t always give you a second chance. Being a medical student involves working hard, but just like our counterparts of DU, it is nothing short of a roller-coaster. There are plenty of off-putting myths about being a medical student, but in reality it’s enjoyable and highly rewarding, especially in light of what we are working towards. Often people cannot think of a single reason why we should follow such a struggle, but they can think of a thousand reasons why we should quit. The thing is, things are made harder for us on purpose. There are lives in our hands. There comes a moment when it’s more than just a game, and you either take that step forward or turn around and walk away. We could quit, but here’s the thing- we love the playing field.

Proud to be a Maulanian!

Featured Image: bostinno.streetwise.co

Guest Post by the students of Maulana Azad Medical College

 

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Campus Central

Admissions and First Day at Maulana Azad Medical College

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Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC), the 2nd best medical college in Delhi after AIIMS doesn’t allow the medical aspirants to easily enter the arena of accomplishment. As rigorous as it sounds, students need to undergo spiral maze to reach this imperial college. To begin with, every student has to give All India Pre Medical Test (AIPMT), an annual medical entrance examination. The exam is conducted by the  Central Board of Secondary Education  (CBSE) for admission to  MBBS  course in several medical colleges across the country. Results are declared within a month following which a merit list is prepared for admission against seats under their control. The meritorious students are invited for counselling for the Delhi based medical colleges at the conference center of Delhi University (DU) where their documents are verified after which they are allotted seats for the preferred college according to the ranks. In MAMC 250 students are admitted annually. The distribution of seats is as per Delhi University Norms.

1. 15% of total seats are filled in through the entrance examination conducted by the C.B.S.E. on All India basis.
2. 85% of total seats are filled in through the Delhi University Norms.
3. 6 seats are reserved for Government of India nominees.
After allotment students need to visit MAMC along with the documents received from the DU and final strings of admission procedure are tied up with students receiving their provisional roll numbers and information booklets. The student is now a “Maulanian”.
Drowned in an ocean of inexpressible emotions, the journey which will take them to the title of doctor starts. What goes in the mind of an individual is a mixed nectar of enthusiasm, accomplishment, passion and a deep desire to learn. The first day is always the orientation day. It is a day when the students enter the era of independence, a day when they meet the other companions with whom they will slowly create deep bonds for life, a day when they will meet all the gurus who will shape their careers and probably the last day when they will be attentive during lectures.
 MAMC is obviously a big brand and the first week is probably the time when people are most excited, so much so that a selfie with dissected upper limb, white coat, the M-gate and almost hundreds at each place can be found. Happy faces which include those of proud parents, seniors and juniors alike, also it is time for two events:  hostel night and Goonj (the intra college fest).This journey is sure a long and hard one and pretty soon the week brings its share of grief and tears (obviously the crocodile tears of formalin). This may take some time but the students are also made to prick themselves and the first sight of blood may faint some.
Different kind of dimension can be experienced in the hostel. Every hostel room is a big stage with the an awesome audience which premiers late night movies, endless gossips and selfies, dancing sessions. Those so called PDP’ by seniors, discussion of the crushes, commitments of some and broken hearts of many, It is safe to say that  everyone is lost in the zeal and zest of the new found facet of life.
All in all the first week embarks the most alluring and malleable period capable of metamorphosing a novice sailor to the veteran surfer.
Guest post by MAMC students
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Beyond the Obvious of Delhi University Colleges

Beyond the Obvious: Maulana Azad Medical College

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MAMC
One of the top ranked medical institutions of the country, Maulana Azad Medical College (abbreviated and often referred to as MAMC) straddles the historic old city of Delhi and has been in its full glory since its establishment in 1959. It is named after the great patriot and the first education minister of our country Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and ranks second after AIIMS, Delhi in producing doctors, specialists and super specialists.
The campus through its ‘M’ gate has a welcoming essence to it. The first time one walks through it, an overwhelming feeling is there with all the students rushing to their classes and canteens adorned in white coats with a stethoscope around their neck. This is a college of nerds with glass-rimmed spectacles, buried in their books as if they were their muse. Unlike what most other medical colleges are reputed to be, MAMC stands different, as neither the teachers nor the seniors are hostile towards the students.
Even the professors, who are usually perceived to be strict and grumpy, are actually pretty nice and student friendly. Lectures start at 8 in the morning with no delay.  With the beginning of first year, also comes the first experience of Dissection Hall. The room has an eerie feeling associated with cadavers lying by your side and a scalpel held between your fingers. But as you go through your first year, eating and sleeping with human bones becomes a daily routine. You learn a hell a lot but only if you want to. No one forces you. After all it’s college!
Sadly for most, attendance is a big issue here. 75% is mandatory but if you are a hosteller, chances are you won’t miss lectures because the centrally airconditioned lecture theatres act as a big incentive for the nap lovers.
Ultimately, what we all come here for: the hospitals. MAMC has 5 hospitals associated with it- the major ones being Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital (LNJP or LNH), Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital (GB PANT) and Guru Nanak Eye Centre. Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS) is the dental college with its separate hospital for the BDS and MDS aspiring students.
It is not just the merit of 250 students of a batch that puts MAMC where it is, but also the way curriculum is designed to ensure that students don’t deviate from their path. Weekly/ monthly topic finishing tests, stage exams, tutorials, semester exams, sent-ups become frustrating and rather boring. You eventually start to gulp down the fact that those school days of 90% are long gone and even fifty percent starts seeming to be a great deal. But this is all for the students to keep a steady pace with the syllabus that actually does run at the speed of light. Because at the end, when Annual Professional Examinations strike, you no longer function like a normal human.
MAMC with it’s new student constitution has different societies each for: drama Mrichkatakum for drama, Prodigy for dance, Confluence for music, Pravachya for Literature, Fine Arts and lastly Fashion or ‘Fash’. Adjacently placed is the play ground where boys are seen playing cricket and football during evening hours. Cricket lovers have MPL (Maulana Azad Premier league), where players are auctioned and sold and ultimately 8 teams of MAMC play against each other. Badminton and basketball have their own courts both in the OBH and OGH.
MAMC is neither short of stress nor stress- buster activities. The annual fest Synapse is not as great as what it used to be once upon a time. But it’s still a great experience in organizing and participating in the fest. If you are someone with the knack of doing something out of the box, you’ll have to take the initiative. Finding people here to support you is actually not that easy since most students have their heads buried in their textbooks.  After 3rd year, even majority of the seniors refrain from co-curricular activities or atleast cut their leisure time for the sake of PG entrance. Still, creativity is always welcomed.
The college has many canteens that serve decent to good food. All of them have their specialties and sucky dishes and your taste buds figure them all out eventually. There are not too many lush gardens and grounds, only a few small cozy parks that turn a bit too cozy when the darkness strikes. If you know what I mean. Maulanaians often pride themselves with the prime location of their college. Be it the book fairs or auto expos at Pragati Maidan, or the sumptuous streets of Connaught Place, or even the monument of India Gate, nothing is more than a ten minute auto ride away from the college. The gates of the college open directly into the famous Khooni Darwaza, and the dream-come-true of all the cricket fans- The Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.
Guest Post by MAMC Students
Image credits: dailymail.co.uk

 

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