Trust the process

Getting into Residency felt like a progression and an impetus to improve myself and be better as a specialist. My goal at the start was simple: Survive each posting, learn along the way and trust the process. However, my journey was not without its challenges.

One of the most challenging periods came during the first year of Residency training itself. I signed up to represent my institution in SIMWARS, a simulation competition held during a local Emergency Department conference. Although I was surrounded by a friendly and supportive team, I placed a lot of pressure on myself. I was worried about disappointing my teammates and fellow Residents and spent countless hours on my days off and nights preparing for every possible difficult airway scenario. What added to the physical and emotional exhaustion was adjusting back to shift work after six months of office hours.

That said, it was still one of my best memories in Residency to date. SIMWARS was my source of stress and worry but it mattered to me because I wanted to do well for my team. Thus, instead of focusing on any feelings of inadequacy, I chose to push those negative feelings aside and concentrated on what I could do. On that day, we all did our best and clinched second place!

_{Gaining new insights at the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) Conference 2025 in Tokyo, Japan}

Another low point in my first year as a Resident was experiencing a sense of loneliness as I did not get to meet with most of my batch mates prior to the start of Residency. The varied nature of Emergency Medicine also meant that we were often separated across different postings and schedules. Unfortunately, this also happened during the Covid-19 period, further adding to the isolation. Much of our orientation and teaching took place virtually, making it harder to build connections.  At that time, it felt lonely because building friendships mattered a lot to me; I wanted to feel connected to the people going through this journey alongside me.

Fast forward to today, I now have the loveliest batch mates to plough through Residency with. Somewhere between our supper runs and little post-shift moments, we have built friendships that have become one of the most meaningful parts of my Residency training.

If I could sum up my journey, Residency has humbled me in more ways than one and has changed how I see myself. For one, being faced with daily reminders of mortality and the fragility of health has made me value my wellbeing and the relationships with others around me. The complexity of medicine has also taught me that this learning journey never truly ends. Most importantly, I have come to appreciate how much we rely on one another and how important empathy is – not just for our patients but towards our colleagues and ourselves.

An advice I would give to the version of myself on the first day of Residency, it would be this: Do what you can and take one day at a time. Be a friend, remember to say “thank you” and don’t forget to pat yourself on the back when you deserve it. Most importantly, don't forget to eat and take your toilet breaks!