Does Medicine Kill Talent and Creativity?

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‘For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave 5 talents, to another 2, to another 1.’ ~Mat 25: 14 -15

I had one major before I entered medical school – I could draw really well. I could look at a picture and reproduce it naturally without any software or grid lines. That was many years ago.

The other day I tried to draw a portrait, I couldn’t make head or tail of what I was doing. My hands felt like another person’s. I felt as if power had left me, It was just like black panther:

black panther quote

“DEH PRINCE WILL NOW HAVE DEH STRENGTH OF DI BLECK PENTAH STRIPPPED EWEH”

People have gone into as budding musicians, actors, storytellers, photographers, debaters, orators, football prodigies etc and come out as just doctors.

The medical curriculum, at least as it is designed in Nigeria is made to break you and subdue you. You are grateful at the end of the day to be allowed to come out and pick up your life from where you dropped it; but truth is you never regain it, not as you would like it. A whole new phase of exams, call duties, more failures and work begins, that may well sap the rest of your life if you’re not careful.

But there are others like Kiki Omeili, a Nollywood actress that obtain their medical degrees and immediately dump medical practice to follow their talents. Not to say there are not a few that adequately combine medical practice with their talents. No, I don’t mean Small Doctor.

small doctor

So, what do you think?  Does Medicine really kill talent and , or is the practice of medicine itself a talent?

And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents. His master said to him, ‘well done, good and faithful servant’. Mat 25: 20-21