Hi Apprentice Doctor!
I was also once at a place in my life where everything seemed so far away and unattainable.
I barely made it into medical school. My scores in high school and pre-med weren’t the shiny example of brilliance you might expect.
But once I was accepted into medical school, I decided to never give up and always do my best.
Here’s the result…
I’d like to take you on a tour through my world, starting with my consulting rooms…
In my office I have a desk and an electric examination chair.
A patient will come in and sit at the desk. I’ll ask them some questions. Sometimes, I will need to do a small operation right there in the room. That’s what the electronic chair is for.
Usually in the mornings I consult with patients. Surgery is always a last resort, so during the consultation, I’ll decide whether the patient’s problem requires surgery to fix. If it doesn’t, I’ll suggest a course of action, I may prescribe medication.
If the problem can not be fixed any other way, I’ll book the person for surgery.
Below is Dr Radek Olshevski on the right, and me on the left. We’ve been colleagues for about 15 years.
Radek, in this picture, has just won an Iron-Man contest by miles – that’s why he’s smiling. He’s also smiling because the above picture was taken just before lunch, and he was hungry…
The food is great, and what’s more, it’s free because I’m a resident doctor at this hospital. I needed to eat something because I was due for surgery in Theatre 1, and the worst thing on earth would be to have a shaky hand while trying to operate. From here, I went straight to scrub…
The scrubbing is a very thorough process which you learn and actually practice in one of your first projects in the The Apprentice Doctor’s Foundation Course called “How to Examine Patients”.
After scrubbing, I go to the operating table where everything is prepared for me. Everything that is green is highly sterile and may not be touched without surgical gear on.
All in a days work.
That’s the end of your tour, but not the end of your road.
Study hard. In school, just like medical school, don’t ever move on until you understand the previous stuff.
Never be afraid to ask questions. Focus on your dream and your goals. You will also get there and have the life of your dreams.
In a future letter, we’ll do a goal setting workshop. You will learn how to set realistic goals that will definitely bring you closer to your dreams, step-by-step.
I look forward to it!
Your future colleague,
Dr. Anton
| Dr. Anton Scheepers, BChD, MDent, FFD(SA), MFOS, President of The Apprentice Corporation |
