Medical students must think like scientists

Freshmen at Gulf Medical University were urged to embrace science and adopt a scientific mentality upon graduation in order to keep themselves relevant in medical practices of the future. The new cohort of 146 students received this advice from Dr Wyatt Hume, Provost of UAE University, at a recent White Coat Ceremony on campus. Each new student was given a white doctor's coat signifying their initiation into the medical profession and pledged to honour their chosen vocation. "Embrace science as hard and well as you can, it's better to leave here thinking like scientists than knowing everything about your field," said Hume. "Everything in your field will change and you should be able to change with it." He added rapid advancements in medicine have only truly occurred in the past century, yet as technology and the world evolves the rate of change is only set to increase. "You as professionals must be independently able to evaluate what to take and what to leave behind," he said. "You shouldn't be practising medicine 10 years after you graduate in the same way you were trained, you should be shifting and advancing and improving and science will help you do that." Hume, advised the students not to think of the money, but to make caring for patients their top priority. Reality Student Marwa Oudah, 18, found this to be sound advice as she also plans to get involved in medical research throughout her career. The ceremony exceeded Tania O'Brien's expectations as, for her, it brought home the reality of being a doctor. "It was only until Dr Hume referred to us as his colleagues that the reality of actually being a doctor hit me."