#MedCanes Chronicles: Advice to New Medical Students
“#MedCanes Chronicles” offers first-person perspectives into the lives of medical students on their journey to becoming health care leaders. The series delves into the personal narratives of these aspiring doctors and scientists, shedding light on their struggles, triumphs and the resilience that propels them forward.
The following is a welcome address from Aidan Kunju, M.D. Class of 2027, to the the Class of 2029 at orientation, adapted for publishing.
“I’m so happy to welcome you on behalf of the entire student body. Today I want to address one of the harder parts of being a medical student: uncertainty.
We’re all starting our medical careers in a time where everything is changing and sometimes frightening. Amidst political unrest, climate uncertainty, and the unpredictable role that new technology and AI will play in our future, personally, I have sometimes felt unsure of where I fit in; if and how I can make a difference; how to plan my career; and what really matters in the end
I think we all experience this kind of uncertainty at some point, and it’s normal because of the nature of this field. As medical students, we see humans at their most vulnerable. We bear witness to extreme unfairness and injustice. I think feeling uncertainty in the face of all this reflects something deeper inside us that wants better. That’s why we’re here.
In such times, I found a lot of comfort with a poem by David Wagoner called Lost. In the poem, it’s assumed he’s addressing someone, a child, who’s lost and alone in forest, frantically running without direction. This is an excerpt:
“Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you are not lost. Wherever you are is called here, and you must treat it as a powerful stranger, must ask it permission to be known. The forest breathes. Listen, it answers: I have made this place around you. If you leave it, you may come back again, saying, ‘Here.’”
Well, you’re in medical school: You are here and here is where you’re meant to be.
Your purpose is your compass. Your patients and peers and faculty are the bushes and trees, your guides. I want you all to embrace connection with your peers and build lasting relationships. Your experience and engagement with each other, your patients and faculty are priceless.
Enjoy the journey. It goes quickly.
And that brings me to student government. Our role is to make the student experience better and to be open for feedback and answer any questions you have.
Above all, we want to build community and promote engagement that will help you all find your place at UM. So stay engaged and remember that you are here.”
Tags: MedCanes Chronicles, medical education, medical students