Alumnus Releases Book
Alumnus David Brill, who graduated in Medicine last year and is an FY2 doctor working in A&E, has recently released a book – ‘Making a Medic: The Ultimate Guide to Medical School’. On Thursday 12 September, he came back to St George’s to hold a workshop for current students to share his tips and insights on how to study effectively and get great marks while maintaining a good work-life balance.
We spoke to him about his experience of studying Medicine at St George’s and what inspired him to write the book.
What inspired you to write ‘Making a Medic’?
“During your degree, you rely a lot on students from the year above and this is where you get a lot of your unofficial knowledge from. Any information on how to get through your medical degree is passed down verbally, and I thought book this would be a fun way of passing on some of this information in written form using my own experience as a student.
"I wanted there to be a guide for students that was less formal, as other books with a similar focus were all written by academics, rather than a fellow student who’s gone through the experience themselves. My main motivation for ‘Making a Medic’ was helping out the next lot of students and providing them with guidance for the years to come.”
How did you manage to juggle a busy career with writing the book?
“It really helped me that I had been planning to write the book for quite a long time, and had a background in journalism, so I had already mapped out what I was going to write and how to set it out. It also helped that I have a very supportive wife!
"I was quite good making sure that there were strict boundaries to keep my life at medical school separate from my personal life, so that the lines didn’t blur too much. I made sure that I didn’t waste any time and put all my effort into medical school during the day, but having three children helped me to switch off from my studies in the evenings. I spent a lot of my free evenings and my weekends writing the book but having it well-planned-out meant that I could complete it within around three months.”
What did you enjoy most about studying at St George’s?
“I already had a scientific background (my first degree was Neuroscience), so I didn’t want to spend ages reading lots of theory. I really liked how at St George’s you got thrown straight into the practical side of Medicine and went straight into clinical placements. A degree at St George’s teaches you things you can apply to real-life situations, like communication skills for speaking to a range of patients.”
What is the most rewarding part of your career?
“Working in A&E, I’m the first doctor patients will see and this means that I set the tone for their hospital stay, or their discharge. I love the fact that at the end of every shift, whatever sort of day I’ve had, I know that I’ve done something good.”
If you could only give one piece of advice to students following in your footsteps, what would it be?
“If you study Medicine, it’s really important to be a very flexible learner. Medicine is an infinite subject, and you’ll never be able to learn all of it. There are so many resources available that you can learn anything, anytime, anywhere. It really helps to be open-minded, adaptable and flexible, and be willing to jump on any opportunity to learn something new.”