"Exam Na Naman?!"

One way of looking at medicine as a profession is by viewing it as a series of never ending examinations.


No matter how high up the training ladder you go, there is always one more.

You'd think that after the countless exams we had as medical students, our life would be free from them once we graduated! But the truth is, this constant evaluation is a curse we have to contend with for most of our professional lives.

Lawyers have the bar; accountants, architects, engineers, dentists, and other professionals have their own professional boards to contend with. But for them these major examinations are a once-in-a-lifetime thing -- unless they go abroad and have to take examinations for the country they are getting into. In fairness, doctors who opt to practice as GP's need only take our medical board exams before they hang out a shingle and start their practice. But for doctors who choose the option of specialty training, our medical boards are just the beginning.

It is baffling to my "non-showbiz" friends when I turn their invitations down for a night on the town with the unfortunate excuse, "I have to study."

So, yes, on top of our hospital duties, we still need to pull all-nighters to read our best friend Harrison's for our regular exams. And now, as we're reaching the end of this stage in our training, our reward is... yet another make-or-break exam. *sigh*

I am getting too old for this. Here is proof:




This is my single photo essay on how not to study.

Even the atmosphere and the coffee in Starbucks are not proof to the frailty of the human body - and the wonderfully sleep-inducing text.

Now I wonder how in the world I will be able to get past the next exam.