the regular school exams. Students face taking
Step 1 of the USMLE, long clinical rota-
tions, and, finally, the challenge of finding a
suitable residency. Heightening the existing
burden is the anxiety brought on by student loan
debt. Consequently, students begin to
feel overwhelmed and start to prioritize the
distribution of their interest and energy, with
little idealism remaining for work to bring
about change and progress.
In order to be maintained, idealistic beliefs
need encouragement or they dissipate. In
theory, sustaining altruism should be a shared
responsibility of student, school, and pro-
fession. Unfortunately, important fiscal
concern for their institution or their constituents
distracts school administrators or profession
leaders from focusing on this issue. In real-
ity, the responsibility for retaining idealism
falls essentially on the students. While some
feel that it is impossible to do, many have
successfully accomplished it.
The key to nurturing one's sense of idealism as
a medical student is to reinforce it.
This can perhaps best be done by establishing
close relationships with like-minded
classmates. In addition, participation in the
activities of student organizations, such as
the American Medical Student Association,
Student National Medical Association,
American Medical Women's Association, or the
Student Section of the American
Medical Association, can be stimulating. The
ideals generated and contacts made can
serve to sustain one's altruistic
impulses.
Domestic or overseas volunteer work in typical
social settings can provide another
opportunity for enhancing idealistic motives.
Taking electives at rural community or sim-
ilar locations can prove to be an enriching
experience that will nourish service attitudes.
Thinking Positively
During the long period of medical school and
postgraduate training, many challenges
must be faced, the results of which may be
quite disappointing. They may include
poor results on a major test, an unfavorable
evaluation of a clerkship performance by
one's superior, a severe reprimand by an
attending physician for inappropriate patient
treatment, or totally negative patient outcome
of therapy. Such disappointments com-
ing on the heels of a time already filled with
intense professional and personal
demands can, if prolonged, negatively influence
your mental health and, in the long
run, possibly your physical well-being. We are
beginning to gather scientific evi-
dence that suggests that there may be a link
between chronic stress and depression
with suppression of the immune response and
possibly even with some chronic dis-
eases. Cross-disciplinary research is leading
to the development of the field of psy-
choneuroimmunology, which studies the influence
of mental attitude on physical
health.
There are many individuals who naturally lend
to think negatively. For these people
there is a need to learn how to reverse such
patterns by steering their thoughts in a posi-
tive direction. Strategies are available to
view expectations in a more favorable light.
Maladaptive thought habits are not easily
corrected, but attaining lasting results requires
a constructive program for thinking and viewing
events differently.
By enlisting our conscious mind as an ally in
strengthening our immunological sta-
tus, we can, in turn, protect our physical
well-being. Thus, one should operate on the
premise that because of the connection between
body and mind, positive thoughts can
induce positive biochemical changes that
enhance the body's well-being and therefore
serve as a deterrent to illness.
Negative thought patterns should be promptly
challenged by subjecting them to a
reality check. Failure in one or even more
issues is not a true predictor of a future lack
of success. Rather, a lack of success should be
taken in the context of the many and con-
sistent patterns of success over one's
lifetime. There is a reason to believe that the
power of positive thinking can in time deflect
negative thought habits and thus protect
one's health by enhancing resistance to
physical illness. Obviously, sustained negative
thinking and repetitive depressive episodes
require professional attention.
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