A little grit and a little gratitude can go a long way
Title was inspired by Madlyn’s Musings — an intern based in New York on her beautiful journey to becoming a Dermatologist!
As I’m sitting on my study-work table at 11.02 pm, I know what I’m supposed to do, but my mind keeps wandering towards the many distractions out there. This week, though we’re only halfway through, has been filled with ups and downs. Just a few days after new years, I received news from one of my close friends that her loved one was tested positive for covid-19. The ironic thing is, my close friend is a healthcare professional and is the one at a higher risk of catching the virus.
As this week slowly encroaches to an end, it will only be a week left before I’ll meet the residency program of my dreams. I have kickstarted 2021 preparing for the interview — offline creating drafts, practicing online with friends, watching linked in videos, and reading UK and US interview guide books for job application for entry-level interns/specialists, and not forgetting, having heated discussions with my siblings about my lack of personality when coming up with replies to common interview questions. The preparation process has made me realize how self-conscious of a person I am because every answer I drafted was critiqued based on what I thought other people would think, and not whether I thought it was enough. Maybe how I perceive myself is enough. If a certain experience was tough for me (e.g,. when preparing for questions — “Tell me a difficult situation and how you handled it”), be it waking up and dragging my ass to work every morning, or making the perfect cup of morning coffee; the truth of the matter is if it represents a difficult situation that you have recognized and successfully addressed, then it still counts regardless of how other people may perceive it.
Dear Toesies, it’s about time you start being proud of your achievements and know that you’re enough for any program out there. You just have to make sure you don’t stutter and are prepared to have snippets of inspiring or motivational stories to share, and know clearly what you want.
Signing off
