I am very excited to share today’s blogpost with you. I recently struck up a conversation with a lovely girl called Elle, who writes a thought-provoking blog called Medic Elle about life as a medical student with a disability. We decided to interview each other, to learn more about our perspectives as medics and as people. Here are Elle’s insightful answers!

1) How do you think you have changed since starting university?

I think when you finally reach the stage of studying medicine, there is this huge weight off your shoulders. Because you have wanted it for so long and worked so hard there is such a feeling of relief when you finally get there. Having said that, there is a new struggle and worry about not passing exams.

2) What do you enjoy most about studying medicine?

Finally feeling like you can start to connect the dots from the textbooks to real people and having a clear purpose to spending hours studying. I think the social aspect of meeting so many new people and having so much in common is really exciting.

3) How do you feel that disability has impacted your life?

I think it has taught me resilience and made me a stronger person. I think it has forced me to feel confident in my own skin and to accept myself for who I am. I have made wonderful friends through a common connection that we share and that has been so lovely. I also feel like it has given me a huge amount of life experience which will aid my career in medicine – even just simple awareness of common medical treatments/procedures and a deep level of empathy.

4) If you hadn’t studied medicine, what do you think you would be doing right now?

This is such a good question! I think I would have got involved in health politics and public health; I can’t imagine not doing anything health related.

5) Any advice for your 16-year-old-aspiring-medic self?

I would say, just chill! You will find a way to make it work. Go out there and find some doctors/medical students who have disabilities.

Thank you for reading! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Elle’s responses to my questions, and I hope that you enjoyed them too. If you’re interested, my responses are over on her blog.

Since I started my Instagram for Mending the Medic, I have met quite a number of kind, like-minded people. I find it a great source of drive and inspiration, although I still try to use it in moderation.