Some of the best advice in life can be learned from other people’s personal experiences. Most prospective medical students already know what is expected of them in terms of academics and prerequisites. However, there are many other things that factor into a successful experience as a medical student. Aldo Cordova, a graduate from the American University of the Caribbean Medical School, offered advice from his personal experience to future medical students. He received his bachelors degree from the University of California, Davis in Chemical Engineering with an emphasis in Biochemical Engineering.
Image Source: Thomas Barwick
Why did you want to become a doctor?
“When I was 10 years old my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. I remember one morning my mom was extra emotional and started giving me life advice as if she were saying goodbye. A few months later we learned she had been misdiagnosed, and had a resectable benign tumor. I think in that moment I experienced a lot of different feelings –anger and frustration– and told myself if I ever became a doctor I would make sure to avoid mistakes of this caliber. I clearly remember the time spent in the hospital, but I also remember the moments when patients would smile and thank the doctor for saving their life. I wanted to be part of that and be able to give people second chances.
What was your experience like in medical school?
“It was different. I went to medical school in St. Maarten, far away from family and friends. It was challenging, but yet a surprisingly developing experience. I got to experience living on my own, in a totally different country. It was a fine-tuning experience, and the most important thing I learned was discipline and time management.”
Image Source: Adam Berry
What would you have done differently in medical school, if given the chance?
“I think I would have fine-tuned my learning differently. Because you spend so much time in didactics, it’s hard to think about how you will implement all the knowledge in a hospital setting. Now I realize I was trying to learn everything at once. I was thinking that every detail was important when I should have been focusing on what was more important clinically and what concepts had the biggest correlations to what is commonly seen in patients nowadays. I would also take more breaks and find different ways to relieve stress.”
What challenges did you face throughout your journey?
“One of the biggest challenges was trying to be involved in different things while still performing very well in my studies. I did research in the laboratory involved myself in different volunteering activities and club activities, and also did some one-on-one tutoring. I wanted to do this to make myself a balanced person and physician, but it was definitely hard to do all those things and stay afloat with the amount of material and school work every day.”
What advice would you give to students who want to become doctors?
“Be perseverant, have fun, but make sure you work hard for what you want to accomplish. Try to do the best that you can in your science classes and learn the material well because it will come back to haunt you. The most important thing is to spend some time with a physician friend, family member, or mentor, because you want to make sure that before you enter this field you are 110% absolutely sure that this is what you want to do for the rest of your life. It’s a long and expensive path to get to the finish line.”
