Being a medical student in Rotaract
It’s not always easy to combine the life of an active Rotaract member with the life of a diligent university medical student. It does take a special person to actually carry it out! But we all know that Rotaract is full of special people and today we bring you the testimony of not one but two of these kind of special people: Ahmed Tahé Allala and Salma Tani!
Ahmed Tahé Allala
I remember my first day in the Club, before our ice-breaking meeting had started. When I would introduce myself and mention which school I go to, people tend to be very surprised and the first question they ask is: “How will you manage your time between Rotaract and medical studies?”. At the time I would just laugh it off and take it as a joke. Because, honestly, it was one of my top concerns too, back then. Little did I know, I evidently had more than enough time and, one year later, I actually became the President of my Club! All this is to say that time is an illusion; or rather, our perception of time is an illusione: you think you don’t have time to do this or that but more often than not, you actually do.
What I also enjoyed as a medical student in Rotaract is how many non-medical friends you get to know! To-be engineers, data analysts, business specialists, accountants, architects, artists, fashion designers, physicists, lawyers… and the list just goes on and on and on! Joining a Rotaract Club was actually an opportunity for me to take a break from my usual circle of medical friends and broaden my network. Some of these people that I met are not anymore just acquaintances or mere friends that you make in a Club, they became really close friends: we party together, we go shopping, we eat out and we even go out for food or drinks!
Salma Tani
After six years of medical studies, I am finally convinced that, in the medical profession there needs to be, alongside scientific professionalism, which should be ever present, a willingness to operate with humanity and ethics. I believe that a great doctor is one who is willing to do his best in order to help in its community, in both a medical way and a non-medical one. Rotaract is a school, more or less, that helped me become a better person. It helped me improve my interpersonal skills and it always reminded me that any change I make, small as it is, can make a difference in the world. After six years of medical studies, I am finally convinced that, in the medical profession there needs to be, alongside scientific professionalism, which should be ever present, a willingness to operate with humanity and ethics.
I believe that a great doctor is one who is willing to do his best in order to help in its community, in both a medical way and a non-medical one. Rotaract is a school, more or less, that helped me become a better person. It helped me improve my interpersonal skills and it always reminded me that any change I make, small as it is, can make a difference in the world.
I joined Rotaract in my second year of medical studies, firstly because I wanted to volunteer, and, secondly, because I wanted to get to know more people. But, after joining the Club, I discovered that Rotaract is more than just volunteering! I ended up having a big family and a lot of good memories. The best part is that we all are Medical students, so it is easier to plan and execute our activities: in fact, we managed to carry out all of our projects long before our final exams! We mainly focused on organizing medical-related projects since there were so many doctors in our Club! After holding many posts in the Club Board, including President, I had my first contacts with our Rotaryans and I discovered a whole new world, full with many thrilling programs. Since then, I started to become even more proud to be a Rotaractor and I doubled my Rotaract efforts and I tried as much as I could to be part of many Rotaract projects and networks.
For me, being a Rotaractor has its ups and downs. But most importantly, it made me stronger and more “flexible”. My Rotaract journey is nothing less than amazing, joining a Club whose motto is «Friendship through Service» is one of the best things that I could ever do in my life!
Ahmed Tahé Allala
MedTimes Journalist
Tunisian CR at the Mediterranean Rotaract
(Rotaract Club Tunis Hope, District 9010)
Salma Tani
MedTimes Journalist
(Rotaract Club de la de la Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie de Fès, District 9010)
19/01/2022