Respect the Journey

This is an expansion of something I posted on Twitter earlier, but I felt that it should be a blog post. Getting accepted to and attending ANY medical school is a huge accomplishment and should not be bashed. I say this because some people tend to think that the type of medical school they attend is better than all the others. At the end of the day, we are all in this together and working towards the same goal of becoming physicians. It should not matter if you attend an MD, DO, Caribbean, or international medical school if you are a well-trained and competent physician. As someone who applied three times before being accepted into medical school, I know just how much of a struggle it can be. I also know that completing any type of medical education is no walk in the park. If you are someone who has been accepted or is attending medical school, be proud of your accomplishments and do not let negativity stop you from achieving your goals.

For those of you considering medical school, please be sure to explore all your options before making a decision. Do not get caught up in the small things like what initials will be after your name, because the majority of patients do not know what they stand for anyway. Also, make sure you read the fine print on international schools that tend to make great claims. There are pros and cons with every route, and I think the most important thing is to be fully aware of this and base your decisions on what will work best for you.  

Some of us may have similar dreams, but that does not mean that the routes we take should or will be the same. Do not waste your energy on putting down those who do not take the same path as you, but instead encourage each other to make it to the finish line.