Hi, my name’s Pia. This semester, teaching has continued to be delivered primarily online for pre-clinical students, with some students in Edinburgh and others still at home. Here’s a look into how my semester has been as a second year MBChB student studying remotely from Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Similar experience, different time zone
Well, to be honest, I’d say my experience is probably similar to most other medical students in second year. I’ve been attending synchronous ICP and PBL tutorials weekly or twice weekly and studying asynchronous lectures in my own time. I also regularly met with my SSC group during our project and with committee members from societies that I am involved in. My friends and I have video calls semi-regularly and have also been setting up virtual games-nights. These activities (and the invariable fact that there is always more to learn in medicine) have meant that I remain quite busy and always do have something that I should be working on.
I’d say the one place the time difference has made the most impact is on my PBL sessions, which take place at 4:30 am! Needless to say, I fall back asleep directly after these tutorials. All in all, however, I’ve realized that having this large amount of communication and engagement has actually made me feel that I am still very connected to and part of the Edinburgh community – not distant at all.
Sibling support in online study
That’s not to say that studying online is without its challenges. I will admit that at times, it has been difficult to stay engaged and motivated. I feel this challenge is probably the same for all students, regardless of where one is studying from. In these moments, one of the biggest supports for me has been the fact that my sibling, Bhanu, is also a second year Edinburgh MBChB student. This means that I am very blessed to have a strong support system in place. Although we do have completely different learning styles (which means we invariably butt heads if we try to study together), it still makes a big difference to have someone nearby going through the same thing with you at the same time.
Staying connected with the medical school community
In the meantime, while I am not in Edinburgh and can’t enjoy the beautiful city of our university, I have also been trying to take full advantage of being home in Arizona, which is also such a beautiful place. Of course all days aren’t positive, but here’s to making lemonade out of lemons! As a whole, this experience has made me realise that Edinburgh Medical School is not a place. Actually, Edinburgh Medical School is a community of people. Ample online and video communications mean that I still feel very much a part of this community!
