Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos in front of Her icon called “Enlightenment of the Eyes” (Rzhevsko-Okovetskaya)
O Most Wonderful and Above All Creatures Queen Theotokos, Mother of the Heavenly King Christ our God, Most Holy Hodegetria Mary!
Hear us, sinners and unworthy, at this hour praying to You with sighs and tears before Your most pure image, and touchingly saying: Lead us from the pit of passions, Good Hodegetria, deliver us from all sorrow and sorrow, protect us from all misfortunes , and evil slander, and from the unrighteous slander of the enemy.
May you, O our Gracious Mother, not only save Your people from all evil, but also provide and save Your people with all good deeds: did not You have other Representatives in troubles and circumstances and warm Intercessors for us, sinners, to Your Son, not the Imams Who beseeched Him? , Lady, to save us and the Kingdom of Heaven, yes, through Your salvation, we glorify You in the future, as the Author of our salvation, and we extol the holy and magnificent name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the Trinity glorified and worshiped God, forever and ever. . Amen.
(On the eve of Peter's reforms)
At the end of the 17th century.
Peter I ascended the Russian throne and became famous as a great innovator and reformer who “cut a window to Europe.” Acting for reasons of state benefit, he radically reformatted state-church relations and had a significant impact on the religious sphere of life of Russian society. On the eve of the reforms, the Tver land in the 16th-17th centuries. was part of the Moscow state. During this period, several icons of the Mother of God were glorified there by miracles, the church-wide glorification of Tver saints began, and new monasteries were opened.
- Nastya, many, especially adults, believe that time flies very quickly, you haven’t had time to look back, you are no longer 15, but 20, 25, then 45 years old... It seems like just yesterday you were an eleventh-grader of the 9th school, and already almost four years have passed. Does time rush for you too?
— Time is one of the most valuable resources, which we spend more and more with age. Over the years, a person has more and more new responsibilities, in the course of which the years fly by. In the hustle and bustle of things, I, like many of us, often do not notice the time slipping through my fingers. I realized that in everyday life it is extremely important to stop and enjoy what you have right now, without looking into the future. I try to enjoy and notice the moments of joy from every day I live.
An ordinary sunny day, warm rain with a rainbow, a meeting with friends, or a good mark on an exam can make me equally happy.
— Schoolgirl and student Anastasia are the same person, but something has probably changed: in the perception of others, of herself...
— The differences between me as a schoolgirl and me as a student are definitely noticeable. With age, we accumulate the necessary experience, which helps us build a picture of the world. I am, of course, just at the beginning of this journey. Every person I meet, every event, everything helps shape my outlook on life. I will not say that they will not change over time, but we live for knowledge, reflection and awareness of change.
— And what important changes have happened to you over the past few years?
— These are not even changes, but rather achievements. The equator of my studies was completed, I moved to the senior year, and became even closer to receiving the coveted diploma and nursing certificate, which gives me the opportunity to work.
— Did you go to study at a medical school because medicine is your calling?
“I never thought about medicine as my vocation, but since high school I was convinced that I would study medicine. This was the same belief as the fact that two and two equal four.
— What specialization will you be a doctor?
— General hygiene and epidemiology.
— Epidemiologist — always relevant.
— The professional area is quite extensive. The specificity of the profession lies in the combination of technologies, methods and methods of activity aimed at ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population, maintaining and improving health, as well as supervision in the field of consumer rights protection.
— We, students of the 90s, had problems getting the necessary literature; then, when preparing essays, coursework, and dissertations, we went to libraries, of course, there was a lack of time and money. What problems did you encounter?
— One of the main difficulties is the large amount of information that must be memorized. This is necessary to obtain the basic knowledge necessary for understanding further topics and for the formation of critical thinking. It used to be that I sat down to study anatomy at eight in the evening, and only got up at five in the morning. There was a catastrophic lack of time, including for sleep. Entertainment and meetings with friends had to be put on hold. I felt like I was starting to burn out. The teachers are strict, the requirements are serious, they ask a lot. You teach and teach, but in the end you don’t always understand why you are trying, because it still doesn’t work out perfectly...
Only after realizing that when you study, it’s normal if something doesn’t work out the first time, and that you can and should allow yourself to rest and take time for yourself, I was able to overcome this problem.
“Modern students also had a chance to learn what distance learning is. Do you see the advantages in this? What are the disadvantages of remote work, in your opinion? Can you give me advice from your experience of studying in this format?
— Studying in a distance format fell on all students out of the blue. No one, including the universities themselves, were prepared for this. As a result, we managed to establish such a training system. This allowed us to study online in a convenient way. Plus, there is a big saving in time that students spend on traveling to the university and on lunch breaks. It is also convenient that information from teachers is now, by and large, presented in a visual form, in the form of text and presentations, and if necessary, you can always return to it and read it before a test or exam. The main disadvantage of distance learning for many medical universities is the ban on approaches to patients in many departments; you have to study on mannequins and video lessons. This is certainly different from communicating and examining a living person. We can only hope that soon we will be able to overcome the pandemic and everything will return to normal.
— Which discipline was more difficult than the others?
— One of the most difficult subjects during my years of study was pharmacology (medical and biological science of medicinal substances and their effects on the body). There are a large number of drugs for which you need to know the indications and contraindications, mechanisms of action and side effects. Fortunately, we had a good teacher, he helped us understand this complex science. Of course, difficulties in studying still appear today. When I don’t understand something, I sit down to understand the material. Classmates and teachers come to the rescue.
— The basic language of medicine remains Latin. It is also studied by law students and philologists and linguists. How is it given to you?
— The discipline “Latin language and medical terminology” was studied in the 1st year. Nvia est in medicina via sine lingua Latina - the path in medicine is impassable without the Latin language. It was interesting to study it, and it was quite easy for me. Latin is universal, succinct and laconic. One word can denote a concept that in other languages would have to be expressed in several words.
— Students of medical universities around the world study Latin, doctors use it in their work...
— This promotes the unity of medical literature and medical education.
At the anatomy exam, we had to name all the names of bones, joints, muscles, organs, arteries, and veins in Latin. We were also introduced to the rules of the ancient Greek language.
— Medicine is developing, but there are not enough specialists in small towns and villages. How does a future doctor look at this fact?
— Great prospects and attractive opportunities in megacities and even regional capitals are pushing people to leave provincial cities. I think if medicine developed evenly in the regions, there would not be a noticeable shortage of personnel.
— Since the beginning of the pandemic, many doctors and senior medical students went to work in the red zone with patients with coronavirus infection. Surely there are people like you among your friends?
- Yes. I know many guys who went to work in the red zones as orderlies, nurses and doctors. Some still work there today. They are great guys. Could I? Quite possible.
— Have you already had practice?
— Yes, the first one in the 1st year was called sanitary. Consisted of cleaning wards, dressing rooms, and monitoring patients. This practice is a kind of familiarization with the field in which you will work. In the 2nd year, we completed junior nursing practice, when the student has the right to carry out some medical procedures and dispense medications. Due to Covid restrictions, I completed this practice in the Rzhev intensive care unit. Physician assistant practice ahead: I will be seeing patients alongside a qualified professional.
— As an experienced student, give some important advice to your younger comrades.
— In medical school, anxiety is especially high, you should try to minimize it: worry less about your grades, they can always be corrected. Develop and adhere to a sleep and wakefulness regime that is favorable for yourself. Don’t sit studying all night: anyway, you’ll retain minimal information, and you won’t get the necessary rest. It is important to distribute your day so that there is time for both study and rest.
— Do you have a free diploma? Would you go to work in a village, in a small town?
— You never know where life will take you, but, of course, I want to stay in the city where I have already settled in and settled down.
— Medical workers celebrate their professional holiday on the third Sunday in June. Do medical students celebrate it?
— Since I am not yet a practicing specialist, I don’t feel involved in this holiday.
— Nastya, it is believed that student years are the happiest, don’t you agree?
— Being a student means sleepless nights studying textbooks, and a time of meeting new friends, walking until dawn, new emotions and impressions, trial and error, and most importantly, faith in the best. This is a time of lightness and freedom, it seems that you can do anything, and this is true. For me, my student years are definitely happy.
— I admit, I like St. Petersburg more than Moscow, it’s difficult to explain this sympathy, that’s how I feel. And you?
— It’s difficult to talk about which city is preferable for me... Over the course of several years of living in St. Petersburg, I went through an important stage of growing up, important events took place here for me, I met wonderful people, got used to the rhythm of the city, it became especially close to me.
— How often do you visit your native Rzhev?
“Not often, and that makes the trips more valuable.” I try to enjoy every day spent at home.
- Thank you, Nastya. Good luck to you, good luck in your exams, and, undoubtedly, great and mutual love!
Interviewed by Olga ZHDANOVA
