Dealing With The New Normal As A Student
Brother Donald: Hello everyone and welcome to The Solution. I’m Brother Donald Pinnock, a minister of the gospel in the Church Of Christ, Iglesia Ni Cristo.
Our day-to-day lives definitely look a lot different at this present time. Because of this pandemic, some people are still unable to see their friends and family members who may be located in different regions of the country, or in different regions of the world. There are parents who are juggling working at home and helping their children with their studies online. And even others who have lost their means of employment to the point that some are trying to come to terms with changes in their careers.
And this is what we’ll be tackling, or focusing on, in today’s episode.
Today, we hear from Kelvin, who is a medical student from California. He reached out to us with this video, asking for encouragement while dealing with “the new normal” and the many changes that he’s facing during this pandemic. So, let’s take a look.
| Kelvin Moncera: Hi, my name is Kelvin Moncera, I’m originally from Temple Hills MD, and now I am living in Montclair, California where I go to school at Western University College of Osteopathic Medicine where I am a third-year medical student. So, before the COVID pandemic started, 4th year medical students visit sites, such as clinics and hospitals, and there we would get clinical experiences called rotations—and it was during those rotations where we are able to apply the bulk of learning and the theories that we learned during the first and second year–into real clinical experience …Unfortunately, because of COVID a lot of the sites that we used to visit have closed their doors on medical students. This is unfortunate, but totally understandable… our school has created what’s called virtual rotations where you know it could be through PowerPoint presentations … instead of actual real world clinical experiences. This is doing a great disservice not only to us as students but also for our patients, both current and future patients, because it is in these rotations where you really solidify your knowledge and your skills …. of course, also how to interact with patients because that’s something that you don’t learn in textbooks or lectures. Kelvin Moncera: For most people when you think of a physician you think of a person who is confident, one who knows what he is doing, and who is able to get to the medical diagnosis right away… And because of covid, I’m not confident that I will be able to get to that level, even after all is said and done. I may have earned my diploma in medicine but will I be able to take care of the patients who’d come to me? Will I have the necessary skills and will I have empathy, that connection required to build that doctor-patient relationship? Will I be able to really foster that? …That’s really what worries me the most—with all these curricular changes…. There’s just so much negativity and it’s hard to be hopeful sometimes and that’s what worries me the most …. Kelvin Moncera: So, Brother Donald, I’d like to ask if you could provide me, or the viewers out there, any words of encouragement that I should keep in mind despite the negativity…the violence that is occurring in the world today… words that will give me hope for the future and to help me get through the changes that are currently happening and even those that will occur in the future, that would be really helpful for people like me. Thank you so much. |
Brother Donald Pinnock:
Well, first of all Kelvin, it’s really great to hear from you, even though it is during this unprecedented time of a global pandemic. It is very noticeable in your video that you are concerned about being an effective medical practitioner in the future due to the lack of the much-needed ‘hands on’ practice and interaction at this current time. And it’s understandable that you’re worried, Kelvin—you need self-confidence as a physician during a pandemic.
To alleviate however the worries that you may have, Kelvin, it is extremely important that, as a servant of God, we believe in the power of prayer. And the Lord Jesus Christ explains why we should, here in Mark 11:24:
For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].
(Mark 11:24 Amplified)
We should notice that Christ says, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].”
So we can gain confidence to succeed through prayer unto God. But why can we gain that confidence? What do we prove when we pray to God? Let’s allow the Bible to answer us here in Jeremiah 17:7:
[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.
(Jeremiah 17:7 Amplified)
Brother Donald: Through prayer, we are able to manifest unto God that we have placed our trust in what He can do for us. Nothing is impossible for God, and He can definitely grant His people (the members of the Church Of Christ) the needed confidence or reassurance, that whatever their goals or ambitions in life may be, as long as they are in line with God’s will, He will grant them success. So we have every reason to trust God for confidence during difficult times.
In fact we are sure that God has our best intentions in mind, since He states as such in Jeremiah 29:11:
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
(Jeremiah 29:11 New International Version)
Kelvin, you can trust God to grant you the confidence that you need. Coupled with your diligence, and your evident desire to be of assistance to the health of your fellow man, God indeed will bless you with the future that you hope for, as long as you obey His will.
Dear friends, we also want you to benefit from this promise and blessing of our Almighty God, so we invite you—learn more about the Church Of Christ, join us in our Bible studies and worship services, and experience first-hand the comfort that God brings no matter what you may be going through.
Again, we appeal to all our viewers and followers to contact us, and let us know your current concerns, worries or aspirations during these trying times. And, through God’s teachings written in the Bible, let’s come to The Solution together.
Dear friends, please, stay safe, stay strong, stay prayerful.
