Alisa Samorodova: Medicine Is One of the Strongest Schools of Life

“There was no plan B in this case, and I didn’t want to have one. Maybe that’s why I was so persistent in trying to achieve my goal. I knew that sooner or later I would start studying medicine, I told myself that there was no other way,” said Alisa Samorodova, a first-year medical student. Alisa maintains that sports helped her to persevere with trying to achieve her goal – she has been actively involved in kickboxing since her childhood. The work in the hospital and sharing moments from her working life on social networks has also been motivating factor.

Those who follow you on social networks know that you dreamt of becoming a doctor since the age of 15. How did you imagine your work as a doctor?

It is very popular to ask medical students when and why they understood they wanted to be doctors. I used to say that I realized it at the age of 11, but looking back at my childhood now, I think I always knew it. The ambition to become a doctor is reflected in my childhood hobbies, games, and character features. I started volunteering when I was in grades 9-10 and received a certificate as a first aid provider from the Lithuanian Red Cross. Subsequently, I discovered the Academy for Young Doctors. This is how I got to know more about medical practice – we participated in surgeries and learned to carry out various nursing procedures.

At the age of 15, I had a serious infection and spent almost half a year in a children’s hospital. I was fascinated by the dedication of the doctors and nursing staff of the Tuberculosis Division of Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos in Valkininkai to their work and loyalty to their calling. I will always think of the staff who were there with the greatest respect and gratitude. I saw what a doctor should be like, how important love for your neighbour is... I said to the nurses once that I wanted to be a doctor, so sometimes they allowed me to help care for small patients, to take them to procedures. This was when I realized that I wanted to enter the children’s surgery residency and treat children.

My experience in the hospital showed that I romanticized the work of a medical doctor then. I did not think about the death of patients, I did not think about how a medical team treating a patient whose chances of survival are very small feels. Since there are no doctors in my family, my knowledge of work in the hospital was superficial.

Last year you entered the medical study programme at Vilnius University. Before that, you studied pharmacy and later in nursing programmes for a year and a half, and worked at Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos. Is this a long journey toward medicine because you do not trust in yourself or a desire to test yourself in other areas first?

The answer is very simple – I didn’t have high enough marks to start medical school. I was not successful in my first attempt, so I chose pharmacy studies. I realized within a few months that pharmacy wasn’t for me. After re-taking the national Matura examination, I tried to get into medical studies again. Unfortunately, I failed. As I saw no point in continuing my pharmacy studies, I took an academic leave and got a job at Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos.

After a year, I tried a third time to get into medical studies. That year, the passing score was even higher, so I failed again. I became anxious that the years were passing, and I wasn’t studying anywhere, so I started nursing studies, and worked at Vilnius University Hospital in Lazdynai in Vilnius. I decided to try my luck once again... and this time I succeeded!

There was no plan B in this case and I did not want one. That is probably why I was so persistent in trying to achieve my goal. I knew that sooner or later I would start studying medicine, I told myself that there was no other way.

Where did you get the strength not to give in and, despite everything, to achieve your goal? What was the main motivational driving force?

I just trusted myself and listened to my heart, I always felt and knew that the medical path was for me. The most terrible thing for me would have been to give in, to despair, abandon my dream and goal and live a life that “was not mine”. In other words, I was afraid to choose the role of an observer or swim downstream. I believe “that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger” is true. I think I got this approach from the sport. There is no place for those who give in or who refuse to achieve their goal due to obstacles, difficulties and other failures. I was also very motivated by my work in the hospital. It was also important that my family and colleagues believed in me and that patients wished me good luck.

I often get messages from school graduates, students who are afraid they won’t get a place in their preferred study programmes or who do not get a place or who fear that time is passing them by. I say to them that it is not losing a year that would be terrible, but losing your life by choosing a path that is not yours would be a lot worse. I think that if you choose medicine, you must know exactly why you are doing it, you should not hesitate or be afraid. As one doctor said to me, “if you are afraid, don’t do the job, but if you have chosen to do it you must forget the fear and you mustn’t have any doubts. You must do everything that is in your power, but at the same time maintain inner peace at all times.” I think that this also applies if you were studying health sciences.

You have mentioned that medicine is one of the strongest schools of life. What did you mean? What did you learn?

“The school of life” has several meanings when it comes to medicine. First, it is the school about life itself. My work in the hospital showed how fragile and difficult human life is – your future plans can change in a second. It is a school that teaches how important every moment is. This taught me to not only enjoy big achievements, but also small everyday things. It also showed how different we are, and how differently we accept and interpret the same situations. Patients who don’t give up are inspiring. Even if they hear a diagnosis that does not leave much room for hope, they fight negative emotions and thoughts and accept the disease not as a punishment, but as a sign to change something in their lives.

Finally, it is the best place to train rational thinking, to learn to make a decision here and now and to look at many things more calmly. This school shows how important communication is – you can simply “drown” without assistance and cooperation. I think that thanks to the path I have chosen, I’m going towards the best version of me. Every day is full of real joy, meaning, change and reflection. This only reaffirms that my choice was right and shows the beauty and surprising nature of this school of life.

You share your daily experience – photos and thoughts – on Instagram. Why? Is this a kind of reflection of your day’s events, a desire to share impressions with others, or perhaps to inspire them?

I started writing in my childhood – I had many diaries in which I described my days, observations, thoughts, and sometimes created stories. That’s probably why I started to create my social network account because I just have to write. I did not think much about what I would write about – medicine is my life, and I want to talk about it. When the pandemic began, I dedicated many posts to it. Many people asked what the real situation was, and what was going on in hospitals? So I started making notes accessible to everyone. I realized that it was interesting to people.

Some of my posts were dedicated to my internal battles when faced with irrationality and the lack of understanding of the seriousness of the situation. Other posts were dedicated to myself. They are memories that I record at different stages of life and emotions. I also write about my studies, medical practice, and work in different hospital units. It is interesting not only to my followers but also to people who have nothing to do with medicine, to school graduates, and to former and current uni friends.

One of my peers shared her doubts regarding her choice of studies, but after discovering my profile on social networks, she was motivated, and enthusiastic and decided to try it. This leads me to think that writing and doing your best for others is really worth it. I plan to write a book in the future!

Based on what you share on social networks, you devote your leisure time to kickboxing, and combat weapon shooting, and are interested in flower arranging and psychology. How do these, quite different activities, fit in with the direction of your professional path? Is it difficult to find time for them?

It is really not easy to be everywhere. My medical studies require a lot of time, effort, and patience, and they are my top priority, so I had to quit the gym. At the moment, I train at home, as it is easier to fit it into my rather tight timetable. In my family, sport is a kind of tradition – both my grandfather and my father were involved in sports, and my brother won the title of Champion of the Combat Sambo of the Baltic countries. He took part in international competitions, trained and learned from the legends of martial arts, and was a coach for a while.

Shooting combat weapons, flower arranging and psychology are also hobbies, but I spend less time on them. It is very important to be involved in some kind of leisure activity, and our teachers remind us regularly of this. If you only work and study, however interesting it may be, you are likely to burn out quickly.

It is difficult to say how these activities are consistent with my chosen profession. Of course, we could look for some parallels, similarities and the advantages they offer for my chosen professional path, but I like the fact that these activities are not necessarily consistent with my profession. It would be meaningless to choose activities according to the benefit they would bring to your profession. On the contrary, activities must be close to your heart and may be completely detached from your profession.