What is it like to be (stu)dying in med school and computer science ?
Could I have chosen two more opposite programs? Hardly. I got asked a lot how these two compare. This is the first year recap of what it was like to study both computer science and med school at the same time.
The alarm goes off.
It’s 4:45 am, I have half an hour to wake up, eat some snacks, and get to my train station. My early shift at the hospital starts at 6 am (an outrageous time for computer-science-me). With heavy eyebags, I prepare for my daily work on my way there: checking the overall health of babies that are barely two hours old, taking blood samples and measuring Bilirubin levels. If I am lucky, I get to watch cesarian sections and assist the children’s doctor with sonographies of young hips, hearts, heads.
However, some of my tasks also are to change dirty diapers, help immobile patients to clean themselves or go to the bathroom, get rid of bloody or vomited-on clothes, and collect used breakfast trays. It’s all part of healthcare.
Whenever I have some spare time, I open my laptop in the nurse’s room and try to review some code from my computer science colleagues or try to catch up on my computer science lectures. It’s a constant switching between bits and babies!
Nine hours later, I clock out and go home.
I allow myself to nap for half an hour, then I start up my laptop and get to work for my parallel world — the computer science part of my day. Since the hospital internship is unpaid, I need to work whenever I am off work so I can afford to work. I am so grateful that with a computer science background, it is relatively doable to work flexibly with pay that allows for this constellation. So I sit down, open Android Studio, and work on the code for the next few hours. I prepare some dinner around 7 pm, and then I go to sleep so I can wake up at 4:45am the next day. The cycle repeats itself.
Medicine and Computer Science — an uncomfortable combination
In a way, I think the two study programs are polar opposites: My old computer science self woke up at times that have two digits in front, I studied or worked from wherever I could find WiFi, and only for as long as I thought made sense. After finding my own rhythm for five years, I had to get used to having my schedule and shifts commanded for me again and adjusting not only the sleep cycle but also social contacts and my general life around that. This is especially true when all your friends graduate and start their careers, while you are still going to be a student for a while, with different budgets, priorities, and availabilities than your entire social circle.
Also, one obvious but formative effect of having worked my way up in a computer science bubble for six years, with relatively good work-life balance (and eventually, arguably good pay) is that being back in a new workplace in the lowest rank possible, no pay at all and uncomfortable conditions (see: waking up at 4:45 am) really lets you appreciate what you have more. It also definitely takes a leap of faith to go into a field that is so very different from what you have become used to and to go from barely talking to people (CS nerd alert!) to regularly interacting with all kinds of people.
The contents of the two programs are also very different; while computer science requires a lot of logical thinking and problem-solving skills, it is totally true that a med school student needs to simply memorize a lot. On the other hand, med school courses are a lot more diverse in the way they are taught than CS ones: Starting from “Präpkurs”, the anatomy class in which we dissected human bodies, to biochemistry labs and theoretical psychology classes, we experienced a lot of different settings and acquired many different skills on the way. In a way, I really enjoyed having both programs at the same time; whenever I felt worn out by memorization, I could go program something, and vice versa. It really trains your brain:)
This diversity is actually my main takeaway from this year. Although (as you might have noticed) studying both programs takes a lot of energy and time, I totally think it was worth it so far for the diverse experiences I gathered and for opening my eyes to the realities of working in healthcare.
One particularily formative experience for me was during my first hospital internship at the oncology, a field with very sick patients, where I encountered “my” first unexpected death, alone, in the dark. Another one at the current internship, where I witnessed my first live birth, the first breaths of a human being, and the joy of life. I never had such strong feelings on both extremes before.
Having had all these experiences made me not only reflect on life and what is really important when life does not go to plan but also gave me interdisciplinary skills that I can definitely use in all aspects, including being a better computer scientist. For example, I learned how to efficiently use the time I have, a necessary skill when juggling so many things at once.
Another clear pro of studying both: You can understand both computer science and medical memes;)
A message to you
I obviously started out in the very fortunate position that I got into med school, had the financial and logistical resources to attend, and a supportive environment that could catch some of the things that fell under the table. I know not everyone has a chance to do this. However, I am still heartbroken by how many people around me (after hearing this story) started voicing out how they had an interest in some other field, but were “too far into their original career to dare to switch”, “wouldn’t get in anyways” or couldn’t didn’t find the courage to.
So, if you, the reader, are still interested in that childhood dream of yours, or recently found your passion for archaeology or astronomy, or want to learn how to play the guitar, please don’t hinder yourself from diving into that. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a whole new degree, but find some small way to at least give it a try and embrace the initial uncomfortableness. You’ll never get there if you don’t even try! Even if you don’t end up using the knowledge you got professionally, it will give you some new perspectives that you would have never had otherwise:)
Stay curious!
