Additional Experiences

MUN experience:

Medicine is a career I am interested in, and would love the opportunity to explore the career further, therefore, to receive this opportunity has provided an abundance of information, and valuable experience  which has aided me in developing a further passion and determination for this profession.

Columbia Asia is a multinational, private hospital which contains numerous specialities, operates surgeries, provides consultations etc. I was shadowing Dr.Amita Shah, a gynacologist and an obstetrician who is also specialised in lapriscopic surgery (a minimally evasive surgery in which the surgeon creates a couple of incisions around the required area of surgery and attatches a camera to a screen which is then used to operate with) , and I received first-hand experience of the difficult, exhausting life of a surgeon.

I encountered several cases, each with varying issues and challenges. For example, one of the first cases was of a 37 year old pregnant woman with hypothyroidism, so I learnt about how to treat such a patient, and generally about the disorder. Dr.Shah explained that the thyroid is a gland in the throat which secretes hormones T3 and T4. Therefore, since this patient is HYPOthyratic, low levels of T3 and T4 are secreted which may mean the baby may be mentally retarded as these hormones control neurological function.

Another interesting case I encountered was regarding a woman who refused to take her medication for unknown reasons. Personally, I was surprised by this case as I belong to a developed, advanced background where I know the benefits of medicine and take them willingly. I noticed how Dr.Shah attempted to discover the reason behind this woman’s reluctance to ingest her medicine, however, since doctors can’t force a patient to reveal their reasoning, it was difficult. However, Dr.Shah informed me that in a conservative country like India, these issues are very common for reasons such as limited information regarding importance of medicine, social and cultural misconceptions, etc.

Whilst all the cases were intriguing and each had unique situations, the most interesting and startling case I saw was about a 36 year old woman who requested an abortion after the pregnancy test returned positive that morning itself. She had come in with her husband and 2-year-old son, and was adamant to receive an abortion. It was evident that the husband wanted to keep the child, but the woman was firm with her decision. When Dr.Shah attempted to discover the reason behind her decision, the woman provided incomplete, short answers. The reason I was intrigued by this case was because medicine is not only a theory based career, but it tests your morals and it is crucial to have ethics in medicine, and this is something I struggled to understand as I wasn’t sure how to provide your opinion onto a patient without coming across as forceful. How can we decide what’s right for someone? So, this case provided me insight regarding how to handle a situation where the doctor may have a difference of opinion to the patient. Dr.Shah was compelled to oblige to the patient’s request, however, she ensured to explain the cons of the situation to her, and the possible opportunity she could be losing. It was a tactical yet understanding way to give her opinion to the patient.

However, the highlight of my experience would definitely be observing a Dilation and Curretage (D&C) surgery as it was incredibly interesting and personally, the best way of communicating the exhilirating life of a doctor. In this surgery, the cervix is dilated and the uterus lining is scraped to remove any unwanted contents of the uterus. In this particular case, the 27 year old women had ingested abortion pills, and the remains needed to be removed from her uterus as it was causing some problems. Dr Shah allowed me to watch the surgery from a close distance and she showed me the cervix as well as the ingested abortion pills to allow an enhanced experience.

In conclusion, this experience served as a confirmation that this is a career I would love to pursue and I can’t thank Dr.Amita enough for providing me with this memorable experience.

At the beginning of grade 9, I was nervous and anxious as to what to anticipate for the upcoming future. I was afraid of initiating my high school journey as I knew that from here on, things would begin to matter. My grades, my choices, my decisions. All of these changes added pressure and stress, however, I realised that high school is a journey I have to embark on with positivity and perseverance. This year has resembled something similar to a  seesaw, with ups and downs, but the journey has been enjoyable.

I took numerous opportunities this year, and attempted to excel in every aspect. For instance, I signed up for MUN for the first time. When I first signed up, I was anxious and doubtful because I was unsure about how well I would do, or whether I might embarrass myself. Furthermore, since my sister did MUN, and was exceptional, I felt a substantial amount of pressure to do well, and live up to her expectations. However, when I joined and began to experience the thrill, I genuinely enjoyed participating and engaging in the activity. In fact, during my first conference, although I was nervous, I attempted to do my best and remain active throughout the conference. Furthermore, when I went for my second conference, I won Most Diplomatic in the Environment committee. This was definitely a highlight in Grade 9 as it proved that I am capable of excelling in something I may have never experienced before, and it motivated me to try new things.

One of these new things included participation in TGELF 2018. TGELF is a platform for young leaders to provide solutions and efficient methods to attempt to solve prominent global issues such as the refugee crisis in Syria, providing healthcare to malnourished children, etc. My group (consisting of 5 people) focused on ethnic cleansing in Myanmar. Specifically, the Rohingya crisis. This was a stimulating experience as I learnt about the complexity of the situation, and we strived to create a product which could aid the Rohingya refugees. We produced a wheelbarrow which can be carried and generate electricity every rotation of the wheel. Whilst it seems like an interesting product serving a meaningful purpose, other groups also had products of the similar quality and depth of thinking. However, we managed to qualify in the top 3, and it was a satisfying feeling as it displayed our hard work paid off and may be used for meaningful purposes.

This year has allowed me to discover new aspects and explore my options that may affect my future. I am interested in pursuing medicine as a career because I believe the career holds an immense amount of possibilities, and generally, it’s an exhilarating career. Therefore, to understand whether I am truly interested in the profession, I joined activities such as medical society, science society, etc. This provided a platform for me to explore the ethical and moral background of the profession as well as the basic theory behind it. In fact, this summer, I intend to intern at a hospital in Mumbai, which will allow me to experience and learn about the career first hand.

In general, grade 9 has had it’s sufficient share of ups and downs, however, I am optimistic about the future, and excited about the journey I have embarked on. Looking forward, I hope to make certain decisions regarding my future and hopefully, achieve some of the goals I have currently.

MUN was never an attraction to me as I didn’t consider that perhaps I would be particularly interested in this activity. My sister was recognised as an outstanding MUN delegate, so I had immense pressure on me when I joint. However, I didn’t realise the learning and experience MUN carried. I have always been a strong advocate for voicing my opinions and offering ideas. So, for my first conference ever, I think that I performed with charisma, and determination. In fact, the deputy chair congratulated me at the end for being present, and contributing effective ideas to the resolution. Personally, the challenging step was the research rather than the actual conference as I didn’t have prior knowledge to guide me whilst researching. I did end up with knowing more than enough about my topic and country, and I felt prepared. Overall, I’d say my first MUN conference was a success and I look forward to participating in other conferences.

Country: Turkey

Committee: ECOSOC (Economic and social)

Topic:

• Full supply chain labelling on textiles
• Implementation of sustainable, renewable energy
• Corruption and abuse of power

I chose to focus on full supply chain labelling as that is the most relevant to my country, and I thought that I would have a large role in this particular issue.

The night before high school started, I was nervous for what was to come and all the challenges that were around the corner. I think I was anxious about the fact that my career journey was going to begin now. Now, the first 2 weeks have passed, and the idea of high school isn’t all that frightening any more. I’ve realised that the only change is the extra amount of homework, stress and of course, exams. Here are a couple of my goals for grade 9 and high school:

• By the end of grade 10, I want to know what I want to major in and what I’m interested in.
• I want to become more organised with my work
• I want to achieve good grades and have successful exams, which will only happen if I focus, and work hard.
• I want to be able to take time out for my mental health and enjoy the high school rollercoaster.

I look forward to the year and let’s see what high school has in store for me (other than exams, excessive homework, and stress!)

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