BY DR MURTAZA HAMEER
During the early years of my medical school, I recall asking an internal medicine resident doctor how he managed to come to various differential diagnoses based on the presentation of the symptoms and signs of a patient and he gently told me that as one’s knowledge of medicine increases, the art of making a diagnosis will naturally follow. Fast forward many years after I became a doctor and completed the United States medical licensing exams, the art of making differential diagnoses seems almost second nature to me, even though I have long since moved on from clinical medicine and into the field of education.
The student who struggles in school may wonder how he or she will be able to do it. The answer lies in the saying, “Rome was not built in a day.” The process of learning is one that takes its own pace and one that cannot be rushed. Each student learns at his or her own pace. The important thing is to enjoy the learning process and perfect one’s study skills and methods.
It is also important to remember that no-one knows everything. The neurosurgeon who is an expert in her field is most likely not so strong in biochemistry and molecular biology. The internal medicine doctor who is swift with his clinical skills in diagnosing and treating adult diseases is not an expert at analysing tissue specimens and making microscopic diagnoses that a pathologist does effortlessly. Furthermore, none of these medical experts know much about the field of Astronomy which the astronomer has mastered. The astronomer is very likely a novice in the field of Paleontology that deals with the study of fossils. So the expert in one field is still a student in other fields. And that is the beauty of learning. It never ends and how much you want to drink from the ocean of knowledge is up to you.
So if you’re a student who finds things overwhelming, remember to go easy on yourself. Perfect your art of studying, be passionate and curious as you learn your subjects in school and always remember that the expert was once a beginner.
