'PASS' : a term used in medical school to represent clarity of notion, that the student has successfully accomplished the 'mission' by crossing each and every hurdle that lay in his path, to proceed with his task of fulfilling his ambition, and that now, he is one step closer to attach the prestigious, noble and honorable prefix 'Dr' in front of his name.
"Beta, paper kaise gaye?"
"Ek short answer question (SAQ) chhod diya?"
"Kitne aaye?"
"Acha, iss baar topper na?"
"Distinction kitno mein layega?"
"Bas 58%? Sirf 63%? Just pass hi toh hai."
"Koi baat nahi.Agli baar zyada padh kar jaana."
Seriously? No, seriously??!!
Phew..And the list of questions directed towards a 'to be' doctor, moreover in a so-called educated, advancing, urban and developing India, is simply endless.
There are the typical uncles and aunties.And of course, the non-medical buddies.Sometimes, the cousins too hop in.
Do they act sarcastic? Do they mean it? Pullin' my leg?
Thankfully the parents and the sibling(s) are not in the picture!
Four uneventful years of medical school have passed.And by 'uneventful', I mean to say that all has gone well. Pretty good scores, decent academic orientation, average clinical skills and the best thing-- continuing to be a part of my original year '11 batch. Basically, to sum it all up, I have sincerely passed all the university examinations.Period.
Sounds simple, doesn't it? Why not?
Only 72 theory papers and 51 practical exams in 4.5 years.
*gulps*
Passing in medical school has always been difficult.The stakes are always high.There are various attributing factors that can decide one's luck in this game -- The Game Of Thorns --->
1.The mindset of the paper setter -- What does he want from me?
2.The mood of the examiner/paper-checker -- Pray that his dog didn't conk off last night !
3.The difficulty level of the questions -- Alpha beta gamma, MRI aur CT ka kyu haath hai thaama?
4.The quality of the answer (hehehe)
5.The gut feeling of the examinee -- *Iss baar pakka fail*
6. Internal marks -- Why do girls have all the fun?
7.The preparation a.k.a 'knowledge' (To say, it should be projected as the most important factor.Alas, it isn't. Ask any medical student.)
All these intrinsic specifications seem ridiculous.But the fact of the matter is that all this sure does play a significant role in judging students' fate.
Does your blood sugar report ever say,"Wow! You have passed the diabetes test with first class."
In another anecdote, have the newspaper headlines ever read out as,"A bomb exploded with distinction near the train station."
Of course, you will argue with the fact that a huge load of data is quantitatively assessed.
Mild anemia.Moderate bleeding.Severe diarrhoea.Extreme pain.
30% risk of stroke. 1 in 1000 incidence....etc etc.
But every quantitative data has a cutoff limit, an upper limit, after which the result cannot be further categorized and taken wholly into account.
For example, a blood cholesterol value of 200mg% is the cut off for establishing whether or not a patient has high cholesterol.Any value above that is self suggestive.
Likewise, I'd say that medical exams follow this trend, wherein the upper limit of failure is 50% aggregate result.
After this, anything above 50% qualifies as 'pass'.
It's not the minimum marks stereotype, rather it's the commencement of an accomplishment. That's positivity of thought folks!
Everybody studies, especially during examinations.They put in a lot of hardwork.They give it their best shot.There's no room for shirkers in medical school.
It's our fault that we have made a really cruel system. But atleast we can learn to appreciate the microscopic webs that have entangled us and forced us to compare and quantify, compare and categorize, compare and segregate, & compare and overlook..Overlook what is as difficult as nothing, and as easy as everything.
It's not so surprising that the chap who used to be considered notorious while in college and who was below average is the one who cracks and rocks the post graduate exam, and bags a handsome seat. And lo! Series of jaw drops, brow raises and sighs.
Followed by days of retrospection.Even faces glooming with disbelief.Life is a bitch, aint it? Haha!!
A 'bright student' is a concept. Novel and rewarding.
A 'dull kid' is a belief. Disheartening and insulting.
Such algorithms must be applied within the class.Not externally.And never through examination results.
Not all stones are precious.
Not all precious stones are diamonds.
Not all diamonds are Kohinoor.
And still a diamond is a stone -- some stones please the jeweler, and some please the witch, some are collected by a historian or an archaeologist, & some are pelted by an angry mob.
Toutes des couleurs sont dans la nature.
<All the colors are in the nature.>
And yet, none is so remorseful or ugly that it is universally hated.
This being the first blog and the gravity of the topic I kicked off with, I am still not so confident that as I sign off, I have been able to create a picture of what medical school and examinations are all about. Well, for crystal clearity, keep following and tracking my journey through this jungle they call Medicine.
There are twists and turns.And there is sugar and spice.
All that shall blend into an experience much nice.
Ah the melancholy of a MedFella!
Take home : The Crux -
At medical school, he who comes last, is also a doctor.
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