AN UNFORTUNATE TIME

Medical school is a long one considering that I've spent a huge part of my youthful years here. I'd say it's been mostly pleasant and thrilling. Of course, there have been a few road bumps here and there but overall, medical school has been an exciting journey for me.

As a medical student, being involved in a couple of activities outside of medical school is something that has been of great impact to me. I am a lover of good music, so I do music a lot. Sometimes I love to describe myself as a full-time musician, and part-time medical student. I am quite good at playing the piano and I'm also a budding music producer. I work with bands, and choirs, arrange songs and also do live performances. Asides from music, I recently took up software development.

It has not been easy juggling all I do with medical school because medical school has a way of humbling students, as you get the result of the amount of work you put in. So, depending on the nature of the clinical posting or rotation I'm in, I tend to switch between priorities. With postings that are quite easy to navigate through without much stress, it's possible to combine other non-academic activities. However, some postings are quite notorious for stressing out medical students and would require you to take some time off to focus on your books otherwise you bang disrespectfully.

It was a mixed reaction amongst my classmates when the final MB exams were postponed due to the ongoing strike. Some of my classmates wanted to write the exam on the expected date because they were very much prepared, and some were not ready; they didn’t mind a little extension to cover more ground. In all, no one wanted or expected the extension to be this indefinite. Maybe 2 or 3 weeks would have been fine but as it is, it’s been months now with no end in sight.

For me, the ASUU strike has made it difficult to plan my life. The whole uncertainty of when the strike will be over and when the exams will hold has made it difficult to know what to focus my energy on. As I have earlier mentioned, there are lots of other things I want to do with my life outside of medicine. Some of these things I have had to put on indefinite hold to properly prepare for the exam. For instance, there is this programming course I'm taking on Udemy but haven't been able to give it the kind of focus required because of the whole uncertainty of when the MB exams will hold.

For all we know the strike could be called off suddenly in 2 days, it could be 2 weeks, 2 months… It's wise not to be caught unguarded. It's also been difficult to maintain the energy to study for an exam you don't know when you would write. It's depressing and quite irritating at this point.

To cope with all of this stress, I take short breaks and venture into other activities outside of medicine. I also get support from my family and I ensure to maintain my friendship with my circle. Most importantly, my Christian faith offers me most of the encouragement I need when I am overwhelmed. However, in all of it, I adopt a high level of positivity; I maintain positive energy as the days go by.

It is an unfortunate time to be a student, especially a medical student in Nigeria. These students because of the intense stress that is already on them from school-related pressure are very vulnerable to breaking down mentally. It's a difficult place to be in emotionally. However, it is important to find a balance.

The effects of the ASUU strike on students can be overwhelming and has their advantages and disadvantages. Some students may consider it a period to learn new things including soft skills, take breaks from school activities and also retreat, while some may get bored, disturbed and feel stagnant because of its longevity.

Whichever effect it has on students, be it positive or negative, students must understand that there are some things they don’t have control over and accepting that is the first step to a positive coping style. After acceptance, the next step is to carefully watch out for the good it has to offer. Watching out for things that give you joy or happiness despite the hurdles is what makes you cope better during challenges or delays.

Live each day as it comes and sees what it has to offer.

This story was written by Dorcas Junaid, a 500-level nursing student and a complete health advocate who loves to play with colours and numbers because they inspire her.