If you decided to take medicine as a profession, never lose the hunger for knowledge and never give up. This is the advice of Helen Heera, a sixth year student from the General medicine Faculty in Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi and a final year student in the American University of Armenia pursuing her Masters' degree in Public Health.
Helen was born in Chennai, India, but she has been living in Delhi since right after her birth. «I am 24 years old and have been a pianist for 14 years. I have been an active member of the interact club since school and was involved in many rallies and events including blood donation camps, Autism awareness events etc. I’ve always wanted to become a doctor since the time I knew what disease does to people», the student tells. She wasn’t really interested in any other subject other than science since grade school and had figured that is the best field for her career. «Helping people and aiding the world to become a healthier place has forever been my motto. My dream goal would to eliminate the entire world of every possible disease or at least contribute to it. My parents are extremely supportive of my goals and have been proud bearers of my laurels and accomplishments, no matter how small or big they were», Helen emphasizes gladly.
Armenia, according to her, is considered one of the safest countries for women according to many surveys that were published online, and her experience for the past six years has not changed this opinion. «I come from a country where safety for women needs work, and this counts as the number one priority to me when it comes to choosing a place to study in since we are living alone apart from our families. A sound mind would begin with peace at home, and Armenia has become a home away from home for me, as well as for the many medical aspirants who have travelled far and wide for this opportunity», Helen notes.
Armenia, Helen states again, is a home away from home, and this is so because the Armenian people are so open and welcoming on a general basis. «They have helped me and my friends to lead a very harmonious life in Yerevan. My Armenian teacher Mrs. Mane played a huge role in honing my Armenian language skills, which have helped me converse very fluently on a basic to mediocre level with fellow Armenian friends in such a short time which has helped me break the ice and mingle well with the people around», she adds.
The education at YSMU, Helen continues, is very good. «It’s very comprehensive yet enticing. Every teacher at YSMU is highly qualified and has their own unique approach to teaching which gives some diversity in an otherwise monotonous system of education. I think involving other forms of education and evaluation, such as role plays, would add some flavor to our curriculum», Helen thinks.
Speaking about the medical specialization preferable for her, the student says that the field of surgery is very enticing. «It’s so interesting to see the development in the non-invasiveness of surgical procedures these days. If I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity to choose a specialization, cardiothoracic surgery would be the field I would love to dive into. It would be so amazing to contribute to the developments in the surgical field and, hopefully, making the most complicated invasive surgeries today as non-invasive as possible tomorrow and work on the prevention side using my public health background», Helen adds sincerely.
From her point of view, Armenia is a beautiful and a very peaceful place to live in, and working here would be amazing. «But I’d probably go back to India to work as there is a huge need for doctors, and the poverty rate is much worse there. I would like to implement better healthcare policies in India, which will improve the utilization of healthcare by everyone, increase the proportion of GDP spent on healthcare and decrease the catastrophic medical expenditures due to huge out-of-pocket expenditures, which are impoverishing many households in India», – Helen shares her anxiety.
Compassion, hard work, passion and a perpetual hunger to never stop learning, according to the Indian student, are very important for doctors as medicine is an ever-evolving profession. «And it’s our duty to do our best to stay up-to par with the latest developments, so the best treatment is available for our patients. The determination to find a long-term and stable solution to the problem is essential, but taking measures to prevent the occurrence of these diseases is also important. If you decided to take medicine as a profession, never lose that hunger for knowledge and never give up. Nothing is impossible, even Einstein was a bad student once but look how he conquered the world. This profession demands diligence and patience, so always keep up a positive attitude and put your all into it. It’s not about how many times you fall but about how you get back up afterwards. Don’t stop believing and don’t give up», Helen Heera concludes.
Author: Tatevik Ghazaryan