As we find ourselves in the third year of the global pandemic, it's safe to say that doctors have never been more appreciated.
The rigorous training and hard work they undergo in medical school also shouldn't be overlooked.
And judging by a recent TikTok video, it's clear that medical school does indeed take a definite toll.
Medical student Javi Ochoa dedicates his TikTok page, where he goes by the username, @javifromtiktok, to his experience at medical school.
But one recent video, which has gone on to receive over 4.2 million views, really got his followers talking, when he showed the physical and emotional toll medical school has taken on him.
The 15-second video began with an overlay, giving the video it's title:
"How much med school has aged me: part 2."
The video then cut to a montage of Ochoa in what seemed to be his first year of medical school, with "started here" pasted over the video in the overlay.
In all of the accompanying pictures, Ochoa was looking young and chipper with a wide grin stretched across his face.
But then the video switched to another montage, with the overlay replaced with "now we're here".
In these pictures, Ochoa was looking considerably older and more tired, with unmissable bags under his eyes, and his wide grin conspicuously missing.
But the video ended on an optimistic note, returning to the earlier, cheerful pictures of Ochoa, with the overlay now reading "but the glory days shall return soon."
The video received a wide array of reactions, leaving several viewers feeling anything but optimistic.
Several offered their sympathies, with some fellow medical professionals expressing how they could relate to everything Ochoa had been going through.
@javifromtiktok/TikTok
@javifromtiktok/TikTok
@javifromtiktok/TikTok
@javifromtiktok/TikTok
@javifromtiktok/TikTok
While many others took it as a warning sign not to apply for medical school, wondering if the physical and emotional stress was worth the cost of tuition.
@javifromtiktok/TikTok
@javifromtiktok/TikTok
@javifromtiktok/TikTok
@javifromtiktok/TikTok
@javifromtiktok/TikTok
Upon reading the comments, Ochoa was quick to point out that this video was in no way meant to sway others against applying to medical school, and that viewers need only view any one of his other videos to realize how much he is valuing his time as a med student.
@javifromtiktok/TikTok
But as the video continued to gain more and more views, as well as more and more negative comments, Ochoa posted a follow up-video.
The 15-second video opened with Ochoa attempting to recreate one of his "after" pictures from the previous video, while the overlay acknowledged how "almost one million [viewers] loved roasting [Ochoa] over night."
The video then cut to Ochoa, still looking tired but noticeably younger, eventually breaking into a laugh and a wink to the camera, as he declared in the overlay:
"If you love the faces and you love the bags, and you love to see me struggle, this is the page for you!'
He ended the video encouraging viewers to "follow for more", and also made a plug for his page in the video's overlay:
"Follow for more lovable, relatable and miserable content."
Ochoa also directly answered one fellow TikToker's question, as to whether or not the first two years of medical school were worth it, in a second follow-up video.
Ochoa answered the question in the overlay, "Freak yeah, it was", as another joyous montage of photos showing Ochoa all smiles with his medical school cohorts.
Judging by Ochoa, it seems safe to say that he's bound to make an impressive doctor.
As he openly shared how working in the medical field comes with numerous challenges, but also endless rewards.
@jojowiththeflow.bsky.social
