Hi, my name is Julien Kolta and I’m a second-year medical student at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland. I’m from Egypt and I live in the UAE with my family. Currently, I’m the students’ union’s international students’ officer and the faculty of MHLS’s (Medicine, Health and Life Sciences) international student ambassador. I love playing tennis, reading and cooking.
Why have you decided to study Medicine and why Queen’s?
I decided to study Medicine because I loved learning about how the human body functions both normally and in illness and then using that information to solve the puzzle of the patient’s diagnosis and treatment management plan. I was sure Medicine was for me when I did a shadowing experience in year 12 moving between different specialities and after I’d finished I still wanted to be in the hospital. To me, it’s such an amazing privilege to have patients trust you at a very vulnerable time in their lives and using everything you have learnt to build a greater picture of how you can help them.
I chose Queen’s because it is a world-renowned Russel Group University. Additionally, the medical course offered clinical exposure from day 1 (first year) through a family attachment scheme where you learn how to talk to patients about health, diseases, medication and difficult topics like personal trauma which has amazing benefits for when you become a doctor. Also when looking at student satisfaction the Queen’s medical course was rated at 93%. Belfast itself is a great city and perfect for me. It’s just big enough that there are lots of things to do and explore, but just small enough that everything is accessible within a 10-minute ride using public transport. This is perfect for an international student as I didn’t feel overwhelmed or had difficulty moving around. The people of Northern Ireland are also incredibly welcoming, friendly, polite and respectful and all the staff want you to succeed.
What are the pros and cons of studying Medicine?
Pros:
Can help people with their illnesses (health is the most important thing to any person).
It has a great academic aspect whilst also having a lot of human interaction.
Medicine is very versatile and there’s a plethora of pathways to follow after graduation (GP, physician, surgeon, academic etc).
It is incredibly satisfying to combine the science and the clinical skills that you worked hard to learn to correctly diagnose a patient (and maybe even think about possible treatment options :D).
You know what you’ll be doing after university, working as a doctor, whereas with other courses it’s a bit more uncertain.
Cons:
It’s a lot of contact hours compared to other courses, but if you enjoy it you’ll love every minute of it.
It’s content-heavy, I always say medicine isn’t difficult to understand (most of the time) but there’s just a lot to take in. But you’ll learn that it’s not about learning every single fact but building a bigger picture of how everything fits together.
Longer course (but who’s in a rush to grow up anyway).
How are you finding Medicine? What’s your favourite and least favourite part?
I am loving Medicine. It has lived up to all my expectations and I’ve had satisfying moments whether it’s in a lecture or a GP practice when I’ve felt ‘Yes this is what I want to be doing for the rest of my life’. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming but it’s just about being patient with yourself, and consistent with your work ethic and you’ll start to understand how to study to get good grades and also become a great doctor.
My favourite part of the course is anytime we get any patient interaction and I get to put to practice everything I’ve learnt, from communication skills to knowledge about the disease, to clinical skills etc. My least favourite part of the course is probably doing the e-portfolio (this is basically an online portfolio where you have to upload reflections and certificates to keep showing professional development) just because it's a lot of admin work.
If you get the chance to do it all over again, would you choose Medicine?
100% without a doubt. I love learning about the intricacies of the human body, how it functions and how/why sometimes things go wrong. Additionally, I’m able to see those aspects clinically and work out a way to help patients feel better. When I was younger, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to study Medicine and I explored other options like PPE, Law etc. but after that week of shadowing in the hospital, it was like Medicine found me, not the other way around. In the beginning, I did feel like there was just too much to learn and there was no way I can do it. But what I’ve learnt is that over time you’ll learn what needs to be prioritised and what things could be heard just once to have a general understanding of them.
How do you revise and how have you found university teaching different from school?
It takes a while but slowly you start knowing what works for you. That might be how you used to study in school, it might be a completely different method or it might be a mixture of both. The way you study might be similar to other people on your course and it might be completely different. The trick is to listen to what other people are doing, take it in and maybe try it for a while. If it works for you great, you can start doing that, if it doesn’t then you stop it and try something else. For me, first year was all about experimenting to work out what works best for me (but that’s because I didn’t have any summative exams till May). But I would still recommend that you experiment at the start with what works best for you.
For me, the way I am currently studying is the same way I used to study in school (I like reviewing the content I learnt from lectures/tutorials/practicals and then doing a lot of practice questions). However, your study method will completely depend on what kind of exams you have. For me, I have something called a progress test which is a multiple choice clinical exam with information from years 1-5 (i.e. you’re not expected to score 100% until final year). For that exam, I review my lectures and notes and do a lot of practice questions on Passmed. For the OSCEs, I split up all the skills that I need to revise over 6 days (I take a day off). For example, I need to revise 36 skills for my second year OSCE, over 6 days which means I’m revising 6 skills a day. I then set aside 3 hours every day to go through the assigned skills of that day. Then I just repeat that every single week until the OSCEs.
The resources to use depend on what type of assessments you have. I use PassMed for questions, Zero to Finals is also a good resource for information as well as the book Medicine in a Minute. For OSCEs Geeky Medics is great and my university also posts a lot of helpful videos and information which I use.
However, the way Medicine is taught is very different to school. This is because in school, at least for me, you’d have a teacher for an hour or two guiding you through a lesson step by step, repeating anything you didn’t understand. You had the opportunity to raise your hand whenever you wanted to ask for help and usually there’d be some exercises/worksheets that you would have to go through.
University is another world. You have lecturers talking straight at you for an hour, there aren’t any worksheets or activities just slides/notes that you can follow along and annotate. You still have the opportunity to ask questions at the end, but if you’re like me, sometimes you don’t realise you don’t understand something until you review it later on. But lecturers are more than happy to answer questions over email. For me, tutorials are fantastic because they usually focus on one aspect/concept that is perhaps more difficult to understand and you get a few questions to answer. This is done in smaller groups so there is more opportunity to ask questions and get help when you’re stuck.
In Medicine, you’ll have practical classes like anatomy or clinical skills where you will be doing and listening more than taking notes. So you need to learn to absorb as much as you can without worrying too much about the finest of details. This degree is all about pattern recognition and so when you hear something in clinical skills, then pick up the body part that relates to it in anatomy and then understand what drug to give to help that condition in a lecture, that’s when you’ll start building a better bigger picture which is very rewarding.
This teaching method is different from school but I do think it’s the right way to teach medicine because it can’t be taught just from a book and it can’t be taught just through practicals and demonstrations. It needs a mixture of both.
How do you find the different classes you have on your course? e.g. communication skills sessions, dissection, labs, lectures
I think each class has a purpose. You don’t necessarily need to give each class the same amount of focus and time for revision, but it’s necessary (in my opinion) to attend all classes and absorb what you can from them. Many people don’t love the communication skills sessions and whilst I understand where they’re coming from, as doctors, an integral part of our job will be communicating with patients and talking about difficult things. Therefore it is important to go to these sessions and practice these dialogues now so you don’t start your job and feel like a fish out of water. Anatomy dissections are amazing. At Queen’s, we’re privileged to work with donated cadavers which we are very grateful for and it is a great experience. Whilst I was a bit hesitant at first and found it quite upsetting I soon realised that it was these patients’ wish for their bodies to be donated to science and so we should understand that and make use of this opportunity to the best of our ability.
How do you manage your time?
Time management is the most important skill to learn in life and it will be different for everyone depending on their priorities. Some tips that work for me personally:
I have a planner (yes a physical planner) where I handwrite everything that I need to do, including important dates and deadlines.
I always plan what I’m going to do that day with timestamps.
I also have a rough idea of what I’m going to be working on that week and maybe even month if I have a long project/exam I’m in the process of working on.
I prioritise things based on the Eisenhower matrix. See this link for further information on that!
Do you have time to socialise with your peers and practice your hobbies?
Yes of course! I go out with all of my friends at least once a week where we have fun and destress. I also see my best friend a couple of times a week. Occasionally I’ll go out for brunch or a coffee midweek and I’ve managed to go on a few weekend getaways with a few of my friends which were so much fun.
I play tennis, granted I’m not very good, but I enjoy it a lot and I train every Wednesday with the tennis club at Queen’s. I also love to read (mainly fiction but I’ve recently gotten into non-fiction too) and cook. Around exam time I’m not able to spend as much time as I want cooking but it’s very fun and therapeutic. I also love exploring the city I’m in and I’ve already been to a few fun places but I’m definitely going to see many more attractions and landmarks in the future.
What have your placements been like? And do you have to travel much for placements?
I still haven’t had any placements yet because I’m in second year and placements start in third year.
But if you’re placed in a peripheral trust/hospital yes you will have to travel quite a bit. But the good news is most hospitals offer accommodation so you only need to travel if you’re going back to the main city on weekends or something. Hospitals can range in distance from 30 mins from the main city to maybe 2/3 hours away. It might sound daunting but it is manageable and most universities will let you rank your choices of where you want to be placed. Also, most society events offer a hybrid approach where they can provide an online link to anyone who can’t attend the event in person because they’re in a peripheral hospital.
How do you find getting along with your coursemates?
My coursemates have been fantastic. Everyone is so nice and respectful and smart so you’re motivated to do better but not in an over-competitive, toxic kind of way.
Overall, it’s been a really positive experience. I was always told that Medicine has the best of the best students so I was worried that I wouldn’t be up to the standard but you’ve got to remember that you’ve earned your place on this course and you’ve just got to do your best and that’s all that matters. Comparing yourself will just bring you down and make you fall short when we’re all going to be doctors at the end of the day. Plus you’ll have people on your course who are post-graduates and might even have master's degrees or PhDs so comparing isn’t even an option. Just focus on yourself, do listen to the advice and experience of others but do what works best for you.
What advice do you have for people who are thinking about applying to Medicine now that you are a medical student?
My advice would be to work really hard because only you can make your dreams happen. In saying that, be kind to yourself because burnout will take you nowhere. I once read a quote that said “Be stubborn about your goals but flexible about how you get there” and I think that’s the perfect way to put it. Also, only study medicine if you really want to because it is quite tough and it’ll be challenging to get through it if you’re not intrinsically motivated that this is what you want to do for the rest of your life. Finally, good luck and I wish you all the best!
Thank you Julien for a great entry! Julien can be found on LinkedIn if you’d like to connect.