Fourth-year medical student, Amr El-Sergany. Photo by Priscilla Santos
Fourth-year medical student Amr El-Sergany will be moving to French Camp, Calif., to complete his residency in general surgery at the San Joaquin General Hospital. One of the things he is looking forward to most about living on the West Coast is the opportunity to surf at least once a week for the next five years. Until then, he shares some of his memories from his time at the UF College of Medicine.
A medical school lesson
One lesson from his four years of medical school that sticks out in El-Sergany’s mind is the importance of staying grounded and remembering where your motivation for medicine comes from – the patients.
“The patients are what really make things worthwhile for me,” he says. “It’s easy to lose innocence in this field because you see the best and worst in people, but keeping my mind on the fact that I’m helping people really helps me.”
A favorite memory
El-Sergany cherished his opportunity to serve as an anatomy teaching assistant. It was a wonderful experience to be able to help the first-year medical students through that tough course, especially since he remembers how difficult it was for him and his classmates, he said.
“I remember how fond we were of our TAs, so I took being a TA seriously,” El-Sergany adds.
Influential faculty
Although there are many professors and faculty members who stand out to El-Sergany, he is extremely grateful for the encouragement and mentorship he received from Dr. Darwin Ang, an assistant professor in the department of surgery.
“Dr. Ang really encouraged me and fostered my interest in doing research,” says the soon-to-be-graduate. “He also helped me to understand some of the realities of a career in surgery.”
Looking Forward
As El-Sergany finished rotations and entered his fourth year of medical school, he began to get a better idea of what direction he wanted to take in medicine.
“At that point your passion for medicine explodes again because you make it your own,” he says. “That’s when it becomes fun and enjoyable, and that’s what I’m looking forward to most about residency.”
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