Meet The Inspiring Senior of AMSA-Indonesia: Adhitya Sigit Ramadianto

http://issuu.com/amsaindonesia/docs/arbor_vitae_7th_edition

Link attached is the arbor vitae 7th edition of AMSA-Indonesia. For the "Interview with AMSA Figure" section, I made an interview with Adhitya Sigit Ramadianto, MD., a senior in AMSA-Indonesia. (The interview was done before he got the title "MD" on his name, though). Due to some reasons, I make up my mind to create this post for showing my abundance of thanks to him for all inspiration he has given about being in AMSA.

I believe this will also be inspiring more of juniors in AMSA-Indonesia. Questions about why AMSA, why must become active, etc., you may find in his answers. Speaking of which, Congratulation to Adhitya S Ramadianto to have become a medical doctor and thus you enter AMSA Alumni Club. May your dreams in AMSA be shared more and more.


Here we go the interview:


Adhitya Sigit Ramadianto is a senior member in AMSA from University of Indonesia. He was a Secretary of Research of AMSA-Indonesia in 2010-2011, and Secretary of Academic Competition of AMSA-International in 2012-2013.

His enrollment in AMSA is very well-known because although he’s a senior from class of 2008, he anyway has got along very well with many junior members even until today. My first encounter with him was when we were in the same team for White Paper Team of AMSA-Indonesia for EAMSC Singapore 2012. Since then, he’s inspired me about how fun it is to be actively participating in AMSA and I’ve seen how he also did it for many other juniors of his (either in AMSA-UI or AMSA-Indonesia).

On 15th February 2014, he’s just had his license exam (UKDI). It would be interesting to hear his story of dedication before he leaves and enters AMSA Alumni Club (AMSAAC).


1. When was the first time you got “exposed” to AMSA? What did you feel about AMSA back then and why then you decided to join?

My participation in AMSA-UI’s NMGBC was my first encounter with AMSA. Being a high school student who aspires to get into medical school, the opportunity is unforgettable and definitely left its mark. Oh, and NMGBC’s absurdly challenging (I mean difficult) questions almost literally blew my head off.

When I actually enrolled in FKUI a few months later, I found that AMSA has a lot to offer to its members so that built my motivation. I wasn’t a socially-active student back in high school, so I didn’t have any expectation whatsoever in joining any organization. But honestly, my main motivation at that time is so that I can have my ‘revenge’ by being part of NMGBC committee.

2. How was your experience and feeling when you enrolled and got involved in AMSA as member for the first time?

Again, at first I did not have any particular expectation when joining AMSA, but I immediately felt that AMSA is a tight-knit family that’s very eager to make sure that its members can get the most out of their time in the organization. My seniors were very welcoming and they prepared us for life beyond the walls of AMSA-UI by introducing us to AMSA-Indonesia and AMSA-International early in the recruitment process. AMSA-UI was not the biggest organization in campus, but we are great in doing what we do and we do it in style.

3. What’s your impression back then about AMSA-Indonesia?

Due to a different recruitment scheme in my time, I was a relatively late-comer in AMSA-Indonesia activities. In fact, my first national event was also my juniors’ first national event. As the new guy, I expected things to get at least a bit awkward, but my worry instantly faded away when I actually landed in IMSTC 2010 by AMSA-Unsyiah. I felt very welcomed and that made me want to contribute the best I can to this organization. I met friends from many universities and I was introduced to the workings of AMSA-Indonesia, including its Executive Board.

4. What did motivate and drive you to be quite active and contributive in AMSA-UI and AMSA-Indonesia, especially as part of the Board?

To be clear, I never aimed to be ‘active’ or ‘contributive’ in the organization. I’ll let you in on a secret: I only had vague ideas about AMSA-Indonesia until my Representative back then Kak Denia (2006) approached me and asked whether I was interested in applying for EB during Sony Wirasakti’s term as RC. Only then I tried to learn more about what AMSA-Indonesia does, and although my AMSA knowledge wasn’t extensive, I have the motivation to learn as I go along and I am a responsible person.

Another thing that motivated me was that AMSA provides room for growth for everyone, not only for the typical university activist type who gets their shot of adrenaline from ‘organization-ing’ and making life hell for the more laid-back types like me. (note: if you are one of those fiery activist type, then yes, I’m making fun of you). Having a level playing field in AMSA is a major motivation for me.

5. We see that many of other seniors they seem to have just “moved on” and let the continuation of AMSA into the hands of the fresh members; not to mention they also have been busy with their lives in clerkship. However, you still manage to stay active in AMSA-UI, AMSA-Indonesia, and even AMSA-International. How do you do this? Why do you bother yourself to contribute into such extent?

“Why do you bother” is indeed a frequently asked question, and I have to thank my family for that. My parents are the relaxed democratic parents typical of their generation, but they also cling to time-honored values such as ‘commitment’. When I get into something, I will be in it for the long run and I will give it my best. That said, I did not ‘bother’ contributing to such extent, I contributed because that’s the right thing to do.

Answering the ‘how’ question is a bit harder. Luck, lots of it, definitely plays a part, such as having national events in slow clerkship days. Then again, luck is when opportunity meets preparation, so get prepared. Be a meticulous planner and do not procrastinate (or at least try not to) so that you won’t have any burden that hinders you from participating in AMSA events. Basic management stuffs, really. I won’t say that it’s not exhausting, but the extra work is really worth the benefits and fun of being in AMSA.


6. You mainly have contributed in academic field in AMSA, either by being the participants of competitions or by being EB and EC of Academics. Why did you choose academics as your way in AMSA?

I did not intentionally ‘choose’ to play in the academic field of AMSA, considering there are nerdier people here. It started when I was assigned to the academic division of AMSA-UI, which wasn’t my first choice (if I chose it at all). Then I let things flow naturally and my interest grew the further I delve in it. When applying for EB and EC, I chose academics since that’s what I’ve been doing so far and where my experience is - call it a positive feedback loop if you want to.

I think for every field that you find yourself in, having an open mind will serve you well. A good dose of humility is also needed so that you can actually learn and gain something from whatever it is you are working on: academics, outreach, advocacy, you name it.

7. How do you think of other members and more upcoming members need to develop themselves in academic field (e.g. by participating in the competition)? Moreover, how to start getting involved in the academic field in AMSA, knowing it requires certain knowledge and understanding about scientific skills to begin with?

Leap and the net will appear.

There are various stigmata attached to academics people, which undeniably drives some innocent bystanders away from the field. Those with budding interest in academics will need to look past that stigma and just start participating whenever the opportunity arises. Sure, some awkwardness and cluelessness will ensue; but remember, AMSA is a family, which means there are people who will be more than glad to help you navigate the field. It gotta start somewhere, right?

8. We see that as of today, AMSA keeps improving and developing. However, the progress itself also comes with some hindrances. What kind of issues do you think that AMSA-Indonesia will face and have to overcome in the upcoming years?

I cannot speak for the whole AMSA-Indonesia; however, an issue that really connects to me is how to let as many people as possible to participate in AMSA, preferably national-scale, activities. As AMSA grew more mature with high-impact events and sophisticated programs, we do need strong figures with excellent qualifications. Yet we should never slice the opportunities available to the ‘ordinary’ members (of course, to be politically correct I would have to add that “each of us is special in our own way”) because that’s where our future will be born. Having high-quality people at the top post is too mainstream; nurturing an environment where we all can strive to become high-quality is what I believe AMSA-Indonesia should do.

9. You’ve been in AMSA for about 5-6 years. You must have seen many struggles along with hardships happened either in AMSA-UI, AMSA-Indonesia, or AMSA-International. There might have been conflicts between members, problem of regeneration, or even external factors that may disturb the sustainability of AMSA. However, those obstacles were overcome anyway. How do you think that the new generations of AMSA will have to respond to such obstacles if should they happen to them?

First, get into the right mindset that such stressors are very normal in any organization. If you happen to find a stress-free organization, sign me up immediately. And if you are in medical school, chances are that you already know how to solve problems, you just need to put it into action.

Maintaining a cool head will always pay off. Sure, stressors can turn the heat up, but if you want to actually ‘respond’ to the challenge, you need to step back from the storm and see the problem clearly. Relying on knee-jerk reaction is not a sustainable problem-solving method. Keep it simple: know the ‘what, why, when, who, where, and how’ of the problem and carefully connect the dots to see where your solution may be.

Sometimes you will be stuck between a rock and a hard place - make a decision anyway because you will never be able to make everyone happy. Sometimes a problem seems so enormous that it eats you from the inside - realize that not every problem has to be ‘solved’ per se; there are times when the best course of action is to ride out the storm and the best strategy is harm reduction.

10. Despite being pretty much active in AMSA, you still managed to have good grades in pre-clinical and clinical term in medical school (especially, information said that you were one of the best 5 students when you were graduated from pre-clinical in your medical school). Do you have any tips for other members how to do so?

I would love to answer this question in an enlightening way. Sadly, I can offer nothing more than the standard prescription. Know your responsibilities, set your priorities, and procrastinate responsibly. Finding your own working style and pace can also take loads of burden off your shoulders.

11. Aside than life of medical students, you also love reading various kinds of things and you also love writing. Moreover, you are also well-informed about things outside medical field (e.g. politics, science, literary novels, etc.). This is probably rare to be found in most of medical students. Can you explain why you keep yourself updated with other issues outside medicine despite knowing it’s even already difficult to “digest” all of the medical lessons? Why is it important for us to update our knowledge outside medicine?

As our study in medical school progresses, especially in clinical years, you will see that medicine is larger than what you ever imagined. ‘Health’ is the phenotype of various genotypes that eludes simple explanation. That’s why medicine is such an exciting field, where doctors can choose their niche from the molecular to the international policy scale. One can choose to be a clinician, researcher, teacher, public health practitioner, and more. In light of that fact, it is very suitable that we keep up with the rest of the world, rather than being trapped in our own white-coat shell.

12. One of your hobbies is writing. What is writing for you?

I am a firm believer in the power of words to influence people. All kinds of writing can affect people: make them support a cause, teach them new knowledge, elicit feelings, and help them achieve goals. Sometimes I write simply for the sake of writing. The result can be incoherent, surprising, or disorientating; nevertheless, I enjoy playing around with the building blocks we call ‘words’ and assembling them together.

“One may possess the brightest mind on Earth, but he will be forgotten by Mankind and swept away by Time — unless he writes. To write is to strive for eternity.” —Pramoedya Ananta Toer

13. Should there be anything you want to say to the members and the AMSA-Indonesia itself, what would that be?

Taking into account how long I’ve been in AMSA and how much I’ve talked, I think AMSA-Indonesia would be too happy that I say nothing more. lol.