Final Year Med School Experiences

CHRONICLES OF THE EXIT

Hello lovlies, I made a compilation of some events I  scribbled during the course of my final exams. God taught me that if it weren’t Him leading me, intelligence and self-confidence can fail a man. I thought it wise to share it here so that we’ll remember the ultimate factor that holds our hands as we wade through life’s circumstances. I pray God blesses you through my testimonies.

Today 10/6/19:

I wrote my most humbling exam in medical school and it was an Exit Exam! I thought I had Surgery all figured out, but not after today's OSPE. It brings to book my earlier note on relays and not having a clumsy transition. This will probably leave me with the lessons of my life: to forever be dependent on God and bend my head to learn Medicine all I can, as long as I live. phew! 🙂

So here's God again teaching me about self confidence, and I still want to argue. Like, “God but I trusted you all the way, I did. I was 'serious' with my revisions. I thought we were gunning for Distinction Lord?” But uh uh, deep down in my heart, I still see there was this trace of haughtiness and men! God isn't ready to drag crowns with you, He'll so trash you. 😝😁

It took my classmate's post about God taking all the Glory, to bring me to this humble submission and I found a scripture while I sought help & succour about something else. Psalms 115:1- Not for our sake, GOD, no, not for our sake, but for your name's sake, show your glory. Do it on account of your merciful love, do it on account of your faithful ways (MSG).

This Exit Exam (Some Random Lessons):

During the course of this final exam, my faith has been stretched, tested, strengthened, waned, and waxed stronger on many points.

I'd mention just a couple of lessons. All I taught the kids in Sunday School was brought to test in the exam hall one day. On different fronts since the year began, we have studied about Focusing on the goal and being free from distractions. I sure taught it so easily, probably because I hadn't faced a situation myself. But one day, a challenge presented itself. I had to focus on my work and write all that I knew instead of looking to see who is finishing first or just pouring stuff on paper. Poor me! 🤦

Another was the humbling experiences of two exams. Surgery OSPE and Medicine Mock Essay. To the Glory of God, I learned that self reliance cannot take me anywhere. For the mock essay, I came into the hall glad that I’m finally starting my exit exams. I was teary and reminisced on many things before the paper was shared. On seeing the questions, I had a fair idea on basically everything, but fair isn’t enough in where I feel God is taking me. In handling human lives, mastery is required and not just fair knowledge. Why it was a big problem on my part is that I struggled with God most times on studying my books. I hate studying and often times it was a battle to go bend down and read. So, in that exam hall, it was like: shey you see all I’ve been trying to tell you, just bend down and study some more. So I repented, and surrendered to in-depth studying afterwards. I just pray God helps me.

I also learned to carry others along, even when I wished something different. That is, learning to lift others up even when I am not lifted. It paid off, helped me learn stuffs because as you teach you learn again.✌️

The temptation of someone whispering an answer when you are still trying to figure out the question came again and as a matter of decision and faith, I usually forgo such numbers. Sad! But I've had such situations present themselves in every class except 3rd MB. And the funny thing about this particular one in Surgery OSPE was that, it occurred to me before the incident and I was dragging with my spirit, on why I should go ahead and write what I heard. It's not like I wouldn't figure it out on my own afterwards, but the scenario(like trance) I saw, was in OSCE focused history stations. So, I wasn’t expecting it to happen during OSPE too. The tempting picture slide was the Prostate gland, the follow up question gave it out, but it was too late. Just sadly wrote Horseshoe kidney gashi ike. Laugh all you want biko! 😄

12/6/19

When R told me the other day, that she didn’t want to attend Dr A's rounds during this preparatory period, that she rather meets him on exam day, I tried talking her out of it. Haha! I was like, what's the big deal if you 'fall hands'? Highest, he corrects you and boom off we go. It's not like I don’t know that we all sometimes carry this urge to impress, when dealing with people that know us so well; it was just that I felt, phew, impression can wait it's turn abeg, let's get this MBBS done with.

Funny enough, yesterday was my turn. Of all things, it was inside exam hall. Dr C was ticking at the Focused history station OSCE. When I saw him before I got there, palpitations came. This man will soon say afterwards, “Ifeoma what were you clerking like that the other day?” So I recounted my questions in the rest station, not all questions obviously. Mehn, the urge not to fall hands was strong and then I'm like, God it seems being known by lecturers has its own wrath.

Station proper; I couldn't even properly digest the question asked. Flight of ideas hit me like mania. Then I fired, but by the time thought block hit me mid way and bell hadn't been rung, you would have thought I had schiz. Uwa m! 🙆

So this brings to book Sunday sermon which I've been trying to chew all week; “has the word of God affected your emotions?” My answer is yet to go in the affirmative. If not, I wouldn't still be under pressure to impress. It also brings to mind my favorite litanies. I'd develop my own line from it: From the urge/power to impress; Deliver me Jesus! (Litany of Humility).

A big fat Lesson:

Ecclesiastes 9:11- I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race [is] not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

For the first time really, I came to experience this help. God just keeps teaching me to lose my back bone and become like earthworm in His hands. You may be wise and yet go hungry seriously, how do we explain that? You may know stuff and yet fail exams and sincerely that comes to just buttress the mercies of God when He helps a man.

The Deal Breaker 13/6/19:

On that faithful day, I had washed myself in the word I received the previous day, 2 Kings 7:1- Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, Tomorrow about this time [shall] a measure of fine flour [be sold] for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. I did believe every word of it, for myself and for my friends too, maybe more for my friends. I always had this feeling “las las I'll be fine, I'm sound to an extent.” (Vain glory, I wish I knew better!) 😔

Then the Lord presented His case. My history was worse than my M1 clerking. I still can’t explain it. Dr E and A had claimed at the beginning of the presentation that I was their girlfriend (former and current). In med school, you know what that means in a long case exam. I come fall their hands sote Dr E had to begin  woba m awo and Dr N kept telling him, “it is not you we will score o, it's the candidate.”🤯 It was really a tug of war, but I only saw the tip of the iceberg. My friends in the 3rd batch of clerking gave the full gist: after I left, Drs A and E kept vouching for me that today was just a bad day, that they know me so well.  Here was God fighting my battle, but He had passed His lessons on: that often, it's not really about what I know, anything can happen in the exam and trusting Him is the only sure path. That was the case He presented and this gist is a summary, but Here's my final submission: I received MBBS at one trial, not because of my performance, but there was someone who handed it over to me and I can't help but give Him back. The kind force wey ambition use disappear from me after 13/6/19 experience still dey marvel me. Which way next Lord? SBBS thanks for it, this other MBBS wetin we suppose use am do now? Na like pause and shock mood I dey since. The summary is that I'm so grateful. I almost failed Medicine exam but God’s mercies came through. 🙌

SBBS is a mnemonic used in CMDA Nigeria-Students’ which means Bachelor of Soul, Bachelor of Spirit which we are supposed to obtain from our relationship with God while pursuing book i.e. MBBS. ✝️👩‍⚕️🏥

This was first published in Phoenix class yearbook. ESUCOM Graduating class of 2019.