How childhood dreams give way to life principles: “When I first put on a white coat, something snapped inside”

Why did you decide to dedicate your life to medicine?

My close relatives: aunts and uncles — are doctors, in addition, in any country this is a very popular and prestigious profession. Although, as a schoolboy, I dreamed of becoming an engineer to build houses. At the final exams, it was possible to apply for admission to foreign universities, and I chose RUDN. Then, six years ago, we were children, insecure and inexperienced. Becoming a University student is already a blessing. What direction to choose, we were sorting out along the way. My close friend, when doing the necessary paperwork, indicated the Medical Institute, and I exactly repeated his application. Especially because I had a fairly high score in biology.

Do you regret that you didn’t realize your childhood dream?

Today I can say with confidence that I didn’t make any mistake about the choice. When I first put on my white lab coat and entered the anatomy class, something clicked inside. Medicine changes generally the perception of the world around us and requires a complete immersion in the profession. At some point it wasn’t easy, because I had to read a lot and learn by heart. Now I understand that I will have to study all my life. After completing the main course, I need to decide on the profile. I’m considering resuscitation or vascular surgery.

These are very complex specializations.

There are no simple fields in medicine at all!

In your opinion, which specialists are in short supply in Afghanistan today?

Our most popular professions are doctors and engineers. But, in my opinion, there is a great lack of humanitarians, especially teachers. Yet another underrated area is the environment. I hope that it will become more popular over time.

Does studying take up all your time or is there a hobby?

I believe that young people should play sports, at least go to the gym. Before the pandemic, I played football regularly. But the lockdown has changed our habits a lot. And it’s not just that many places are closed. This is a time when it’s important to take care of each other. I managed to work in the “red zone” with COVID patients. And if the recruitment of young specialists is resumed, I will definitely go again. In general, the principle of caring and the desire to help others is not only a line from the Hippocratic Oath, but also a life position. RUDN created the associations of students who came from different countries. The task of such a group is to help young people get settled. I am the head of the Afghan community.

What are your responsibilities?

Supervise young students, especially first-year ones, help them solve housing issues, and support them in the educational process. Now the community of Afghanistan includes 300 students, many of them don’t know either Russian or English upon arrival. After all, I also went through this and now I understand how difficult the first years are.

How do you see your future?

I want to be a high-level specialist, and for this I will have to study for several more years. It is still difficult to say in which country I will be able to work. But my profession will always be crucial in my future.