With normal routines being shaken up, many of us have probably struggled to stay productive. We don’t know for certain when the pandemic is going to die down so we’re left feeling anxious about our lack of control over things.
One medical student, Nadine Villaret, from Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health has an inspiring, albeit funny, story of dealing with uncertainty: She decided to take a whopping 69 online courses to stay productive. “The pandemic caused me so much anxiety, and I tried to combat it by staying productive,” Nadine shares in an interview over Facebook. “Many of us in medical school work so hard because we want to be good doctors for our future patients. However, I'd be lying if I said that we don’t get demotivated at times.”
“That's when online courses came along,” she continued. “The courses I took were about topics that I was interested in, so learning them was no problem. It was a good break from feeling like I had to stuff my brain every time I opened my books and transes, and after a while, it gave me a better appreciation of the impact of my future profession.”
“The first course I enrolled in was Psychological First Aid from John Hopkins University,” Nadine shares. “[My thesis mate] just finished the course and invited us to try it out, especially since the subject was related to our thesis [which] was published in the International Journal of Culture and Mental Health. It is entitled The role of Filipino masculine ideology on the adaptive coping, psychological well-being, and vicarious trauma of first responders.” You can read more about their thesis here.
On taking 69 online courses
After completing her first course, Nadine went on to take a couple more since there wasn’t any assurance that their exams would push through as scheduled. She ended up taking a total of 69 online courses. You might think that 69 is such a random number, but Nadine shares that there’s actually a funny story behind it. “The main and honest reason I went to accomplish this particular number of certificates is because my friends challenged me to do so,” she says. “One particular friend said, and I quote, ‘G hahaha para laughtrip headlines, ‘Babae, naka 69.’”
Jokes aside, Nadine’s got some serious passion for the courses she took. “The courses I enrolled in are in a variety of fields. Some are for understanding health systems and global health,” she shares. “I also enrolled in courses for personal development, psychology, and other fields that I'm either passionate about or fields that I have always been interested in learning such as sustainability, fashion, ecology, etc.”
In case you’re curious, here are all 69 courses Nadine took:
- Big History: Connecting Knowledge by Macquarie University
- Collaborative Working in a Remote Team by University of Leeds and Institute of Coding
- Communication and Interpersonal Skills at Work by University of Leeds and Institute of Coding
- Conflict Analysis by United States Institute of Peace
- Converting Challenges into Opportunities by University of California San Diego
- COVID-19 Contact Tracing by John Hopkins University
- COVID-19: Effective Nursing in Times of Crisis by John Hopkins University, JHPIEGO, and John Hopkins School of Nursing
- COVID-19: Helping Young People Manage Low Mood and Depression by University of Reading
- COVID-19: Tackling the Novel Coronavirus by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and UK Public Health Rapid Support Team
- Create a Professional Online Presence by University of Leeds and Institute of Coding
- Create a Social Media Marketing Campaign by University of Leeds and Institute of Coding
- Decision Making: How to Choose the Right Problem to Solve by University of Leeds and Institute of Coding
- Designing Community-Based Dialogue by United States Institute of Peace
- Design, Monitoring and Evaluation for Programming in Fragile Environments by United States Institute of Peace
- Dino 101: Dinosaur Paleobiology by University of Alberta
- Disease Screening in Public Health by University of Geneva, University of Lausanne
- Ecology: Ecosystem Dynamics and Conservation by American Museum of Natural History and Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Epidemics, Pandemics and Outbreaks by University of Pittsburgh
- Epidemiology: The Basic Science of Public Health by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Essentials of Global Health by Yale University
- Evidence and Data Collection for Problem Solving by University of Leeds and Institute of Coding
- Fashion as Design by The Museum of Modern Art
- Future-Proofing the Health Workforce by Griffith University
- Gender Inclusivity in Peacebuilding by United States Institute of Peace
- Global Biosecurity for One Health by Murdoch University
- Global Health: An Interdisciplinary Overview by University of Geneva
- Governance by United States Institute of Peace
- Healthy Futures: How can we Create the Most Effective Healthcare System? by Murdoch University
- How To Write A Resume (Project-Centered Course) by The State University of New York
- How to Create Great Online Content by University of Leeds and Institute of Coding
- Ideas for a Better World: Leading Change Through Policymaking by British Council
- Infection Prevention in Nursing Homes by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Introduction to Nursing: The Role of Nurses around the World by King's College London
- Introduction to Peacebuilding by United States Institute of Peace
- Introduction to Personal Branding by University of Virginia
- Introduction to Psychology: Biological Psychology by Monash University
- Introduction to Psychology: The History and Science of Psychology by Monash University
- Introduction to Psychology: The Psychology of Learning by Monash University
- Introduction to Sustainability and Development by Deakin University
- Leading Culturally Diverse Teams in the Workplace by Deakin University and Deakin Business School
- Leading Strategic Innovation: How to Lead With Purpose by Deakin University and Coventry University
- Lessons From Ebola: Preventing the Next Pandemic by Harvard University
- Managing Mental Health and Stress by Coventry University
- Media and the Arts for Peace by United States Institute of Peace
- Mediation by United States Institute of Peace
- Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential by McMaster University (completed with Honors)
- Negotiation by United States Institute of Peace
- Nonviolent Action by United States Institute of Peace
- Plagues, Pestilence and Pandemics: Are You Ready? by Griffith University
- Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science by University of Pennsylvania
- Poverty & Population: How Demographics Shape Policy by Columbia University
- Preparing for Peacebuilding by United States Institute of Peace
- Presenting your Work with Impact by University of Leeds and Institute of Coding
- Professional Resilience: Building Skills to Thrive at Work by Deakin University
- Psychological First Aid by John Hopkins University
- Religion and Peacebuilding by United States Institute of Peace
- Sit Less, Get Active by University of Edinburgh
- Sleep Deprivation: Habits, Solutions and Strategies Teach-Out by University of Michigan
- Social Psychology by Wesleyan University (completed with Honors)
- Social Services for Families, Seniors and Those with Disabilities by Columbia University
- Successful Career Development by University System of Georgia
- Supporting Adolescent Learners: Social and Emotional Wellbeing by Griffith University
- The Challenges of Global Health by Duke University
- The Power of Podcasting for Storytelling by University of Wollongong
- The Science of Success: What Researchers Know that You Should Know by University of Michigan
- Think Again I: How to Understand Arguments by Duke University
- US Social Services Compared by Columbia University
- US Social Services: Where did they come from? by Columbia University
- What is Leadership? by Deakin University
Where she learned about online courses
You might think that it sounds a bit ~expensive~ to take sooo many online courses, but Nadine shares that almost all these were *free*. “The only course I had to pay for to get a certificate was the course, Lessons From Ebola: Preventing the Next Pandemic by Harvard University,” Nadine says.
Thankfully, Nadine was kind enough to share the links where she learned about these online courses, in case anyone else wants to enroll. “I want everyone to be able to take advantage of this opportunity that's on limited time. We shouldn't gatekeep learning because it should never be a privilege, but it is a right.” You may check here, here, and here for a list of free online courses!
On balancing online courses with her actual school work
It’s a bit intimidating to think of accomplishing so many online courses while you’re studying for exams, in med school, no less. Here, Nadine shares the habits she practiced that allowed her to accomplish her online courses while in med school.
- Set your goals daily and figure out when you’re most productive. “Every day I would set a daily goal of what I wanted to accomplish,” Nadine shares. “I tried to wake up early (emphasis on tried), but mostly I just worked until late into the night because I'm more productive during those times.”
- Have something to look forward to as a “prize.” Nadine says it’s helpful to do something you actually enjoy after your tasks so you’ll have something to anticipate at the end of your activities. “I'd watch episodes from an anime or K-drama, or I'd have a movie night with my sisters,” she says. “Sometimes I'll play a video game with my friends. I was psyching myself into having something to look forward to as a sort of prize for finishing my daily goal.”
- Don’t expect yourself to give the same results every day, and that’s okay. “I'd like to say that I didn't always finish my daily goals. Some days I'd barely touch a page of the readings from both my online courses and med school, while some days I tunneled right through and did more than I ever set for myself.”
- Lastly, don’t forget to have rest days!
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