A DOCTOR HAS TO HAVE PASSION
Katarzyna Szulik
Nicole Hunter was one of the most active ED students, engaged in conferences and scientific work. She was also a member of the science club run by Dr. Katarzyna Neubauer at the Department and Clinic of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Nicole Hunter, a fifth-year ED medicine student, has two main passions: sports and medicine. – Whatever I chose to do in my life I wanted to take it farther. That’s one of the reasons why I love medicine, It lets you continuously grow, learn and advance.
The stereotype of a polite and kind Canadian doesn’t really match with your fondness of boxing, which started here in Poland. How did it happen?
I was always very active, in school I played multiple sports and on multiple teams and I always had practices and training in my free time. So when I came to Poland to study and all of a sudden those teams, practices and sports were gone I had to find something to fill that void. So I started going to the gym, but on the fourth year I felt the need to try something different. One of my friends was into boxing, and he recommended it to me. His trainers spoke English and worked with English-speaking foreigners, so I decided to give it a try. I loved it – I’ve been boxing ever since. Nothing crazy, just a session once a week. I needed time for myself to just have a good break from studying.
What do you find appealing about it?
I don’t think about anything else while I’m there, so for an hour I’m getting a great workout and I can clear my head at the same time. I think when you’re studying something like medicine it’s imperative that you have time for yourself and not think about the exams and classes. I consider it very important for my personal mental health. That’s also one of the reasons I love sports and exercise.
I imagine you sometimes get to box with others – is the competitive factor also important to you?
We do have sparring sometimes, but for me it’s not about fighting but training and improving my endurance, it’s just an excellent workout. In general when it comes to sports I’m usually a very competitive person. The teams that I played on previously were also competitive, so I definitely have that drive in me. Overall growing up and doing sports had a very positive impact on my life. But when it comes to boxing I’m more focused on self-improvement. Whatever I chose to do in my life I wanted to take it farther and that’s one of the reasons why I love medicine. It lets you continuously grow, learn and advance. I like having so much to look forward to and I don’t want to limit myself.
Medicine has grown on you or were you certain that it’s the right path?
I wanted a career that I could do and love for the rest of my life and at this point I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. In school I really enjoyed the sciences and had a good idea that I would be pursuing medicine, dentistry or pharmacy, so it was an obvious choice. Additionally, I’ll be the first doctor in my family, so there was no influence of that kind and it was something I chose for myself. When you’ve dedicated yourself to something this much, meaning six years of school, board exams, all of the clinical classes, you have to enjoy it. I’m hoping it will continue like that for me when I start working as a doctor.
You’re also involved in some scientific work thank dr Katarzyna Neubauer who is also the reason why we are having this conversation.
Dr Neubauer is a doctor who really goes out of her way for English Division students, and she’s done a lot to help myself as well as others. She is the head of the Gastroenterology Students Association, which I am a part of. Every year we host the Gastroenterology Conference and I actually presented a case there in December. I’m also working on a gastroenterology paper with her as well. It’s rare to find a doctor so willing to devote their extra time to students of English Division.
Is gastroenterology your field of choice?
I do like gastroenterology, but mainly I want to go into internal medicine. Gastroenterology is a part of internal medicine, so I guess you could say it is, to some extent, my field of choice.
The entire interview can be read in the University Gazette from June 2018 (No. 243), p. 10