In the first contact I had with Tiago, the way he spoke about Medicine marked me, “it is not only the theoretical knowledge that comes from textbooks, but also the ability to convey a message to the patient, in an empathetic, competent and clear way.
We exchanged brief impressions, because I had asked him for an account of the summer internships that took place this year during the holidays. It was then that I realized that he has a degree in Radiology and has practiced it for over 7 years, 6 of them in Switzerland, where he led teams. But he returned to Lisbon and now does not practice Radiology. He is a student again and a full time one.
In the 11th grade, he decided he wanted to study medicine. He applied only to the Military Academy, he entered the course he wanted, but only stayed for 4 months. He gave up right away. "The military life was not what I intended", he said. "The structure was very hierarchical and not open to being otherwise". Son of a military father and with an older brother, a former paratrooper, Tiago thus contradicted the family structures, but militarily without hesitating in his own convictions and paths. The parents eventually moved to Switzerland, as the father had found work there. And his brother left his military career and followed the same geographical destination.
Tiago stayed in Portugal and, when he left the Military Academy, he knew that he still had to take the final exams for the last year of high school. These exams would give him the alternatives for accessing Higher Education.
Lisbon was his choice, largely for financial reasons, which did not allow him to live away from his city, a side no less real and practical and which he never omits. As he didn't enter where he wanted, he decided to study Radiology. Aware of the difficulties of life and because nothing was ever given to him lightly, he proposed to work for at least a year in his area of expertise, to ensure financial independence, a tool that would enable him to continue to pursue his dream of studying Medicine.
Of the 65 to 70 hours he worked each week at Lusíadas Hospital, he realized that he would not be able to work and study medicine at the same time. Medical education was once again a postponed dream, especially when faced with the reality of a year of work that made him realise that if he wanted to create a path and savings, he would have to move forward with maximum effort. That's what made him continue with a career in Radiology. He went to Switzerland where he met again with his family, leaving behind his dream of Medicine, his routine and friends.
Portuguese, from Tomar, and having just arrived in Berne, he had no command of French, he was hovering between light words learned half a dozen years earlier, and he knew no German. During a month, he learned French intensively and a few months later, his German was almost at the same level of mastery. In the first months, communication was done through gestures, making him feel lonely, less integrated and isolated in the dynamics with patients and among colleagues. Having attained C1 in German and French, on a scale in which there is only one more level (C2), Tiago could now teach something that for so long had repelled and isolated him from everyone.
"How did you learn so quickly?"- I ask him with surprise, knowing that the German language doesn't give anyone a break. "With effort", he answers me pleasantly, as if it is easy to live mostly in the face of setbacks.
He continued to study in Portugal, a Master Degree in Medical Physics. Between online classes and 3 times a month travelling to his country, he completed one more stage that would finish with a final grade of 18 marks. Perhaps due to his professional experience or the high grade in the Master Degree, Tiago Constantino received the proposal to lead the Magnetic Resonance team, in Body Radiology, in Switzerland.
At the end of 2015 and going to Bienne, the proposal became more ambitious. This time they wanted him to coordinate the entire Radiology team. He never hid anything about himself from others, not even from himself. Still a young professional, and with accumulated knowledge, he describes this phase as a lucky moment, never feeding the ego with its own merit.
He stayed in Switzerland for 6 years, which became more bearable thanks to his girlfriend Ana Luísa, who was also studying Radiology there. Only she knew of Tiago's desire to return to Portugal and resume his dream of a medical degree. She supported him in any direction on his path.
Tiago managed to finish the Master Degree and make savings. Plan by plan, everything was being calculated, either in his head or in an spreadsheet that told him how much he could spend and for how long. It was these detailed plans that allowed him to return to Portugal and enter the Faculty of Medicine, currently studying year 5 of the Integrated Master Degree.
He arrived just 3 days before the first day of the academic year. His girlfriend arrived a week later.
He is currently part of the research team of Professor Bruno Silva-Santos, who challenged him to do so, after meeting him as a student in year 2 of the degree, in Immunology. Tiago is on the team that researches the immune system in breast cancer.
Tiago Constantino's life has not always been easy, his desires have not always become true at the speed of his will, but they happened because of his obstinacy.
Now 34 years old, he knows exactly what he is and what he wants.
Discreet, with ideas well founded on goals and remarkably resilient, he has a curious generosity towards others. Cordial, gentle in dealings with others, he does not impose himself. But he goes in without waving to let you know that he has arrived and when we understand what he is like, we need to hear him, because we know he will inspire someone.
You are the son of a military man and yet you did not like the academy. Wasn’t rigidity always part of your life? Or am I wrong?
Tiago: The rigid education prepared me for life. It explains why I'm so structured and feel so prepared for life. It prepared me to be organized and to keep schedules. Even today, when I go to my parents' house, we have lunch at 1 pm sharp and when I was younger, the limit was getting out of bed at 9 am, whether I had gone out the night before or not. I remember the first night I went out and drank a bit more and went to bed at 5:00... At 9:00 I had to wake up as usual, you know how? Doing physical exercise, because that was how it always had to be, for me and my brother.
Has this "hardness" of life's rules helped prepare you for the hardship of plans that have not always been successful?
Tiago: I think so. When I failed to enter the medical degree, I was sad. The first few days were hard, but I knew I would make it. I just didn't know when.
When you believe, is it certain that it will happen?
Tiago: Yes, because I make things happen. I'm like that! I told myself that when I went to Switzerland, I would have work and so it was. When I entered the Master Degree, I had a goal and attained it (18 marks). When I said I was going to do scientific research, I did it and continue to do it.
Tell me about your plan to study Medicine without needing to work at the same time.
Tiago: I established a formula, just like a payroll. That is, the annual amount of tuition fees, how much I spend per month, I have stipulated a monthly amount, including the contingency that there may be unexpected expenses. There is also the possibility of a holiday. All this is thought out automatically.
What is it like to be a professional and have a robust experience and go back to university to study Medicine, starting from scratch and with younger people?
Tiago: I am a very sociable person and I have never had any problems. I try to be the person I have always been and that means that I joke and laugh a lot and I enjoy being with people. The age issue doesn't embarrass me, it's normal for younger people to have a different maturity, but it's a process I've already gone through, so I know how to understand it very well. This journey has been fantastic, I have a group of amazing friends, we play soccer, we go out together, we study. I feel 100% integrated.
Is it easier to study Medicine when you have previous experience?
Tiago: Yes, especially in the first years of the degree, year 1 in particular, and partly year 2. In these two years, there is a habit of having a study method as if everything ended yesterday, and students don't keep calm. The study has to be structured and the details cannot be too minute, otherwise it is not possible. And the first few years don't give us that skill right away. Nowadays, I can say that it is impossible to study everything down to the smallest detail. From year 2 onwards, we are all on the same level regarding studying under pressure.
There is an unavoidable question I want to ask you. Looking at Tiago at 34 years of age and knowing that there is always the standardization of society, do you feel the pressure to make quick decisions in life, like regarding the family? How do you handle time management and your goals? Is it against the clock?
Tiago: Against the clock is what best describes the situation. But the theme of the family is thought out. And even regarding it, I don't limit myself to having a plan A, or even a B plan. The factors change so much that we must always have several alternative paths. Having children is part of these plans and getting married too. I would say that it will happen when I have completed the medical degree and I am preparing for the National Ranking Test. But I know that as time goes by, there are always increased risks and I have these factors in my head. With regard to work, I also have plans that could include contacts in Germany, but nothing will be decided without taking into account Ana Luísa's achievements.
You always talk a lot about plan A, B, C. Have you ever failed all your plans?
Tiago: No
What if it happens?
Tiago: I will get another plan. There may be frustration along the way, but it is necessary to reduce it as much as possible and find other solutions and move on. This is the best way to be in life and to be able to be happy.
For students who have just started and who are clearly more unprotected from the new rules, or more lost (many of them are from outside Lisbon) within this vast campus, what advice do you want to give them?
Tiago: We've all thought about running away or giving up in the face of fear of the unknown. But the first moments are transitional and we've all gone through uncertainties and the unknown. They must think about the importance of interacting with other people. During evaluation periods, we must be very focused. But there is another aspect, it is important that we understand our focus, because each one of us can have different goals and it is necessary to focus on each proposed goal. Organization, focus and setting primary objectives are the three primary points. Finally, it is important that they know that if they do not reach plan A, they will focus on B and later re-evaluate whether they intend to continue focusing on A. Later, everything will intertwin and make sense, even facing a thorny path, but in the end it all pays off.
Given today’s reality, he believes that he could enter any of the specialty areas. In all of them he feels that there is something new that attracts him. In his experience, he has the advantage of having been a radiologist, which means that he knows how to interpret exams, which most doctors do not when they enter the job market.
Today, his preferred specialties are Radiology, ENT, Internal Medicine, Pulmonology and Cardiology.
Feeling certain that he will remain in Portugal, he regrets the lack of support to translational research, in other words, a clinician who continues to conduct research in the laboratory. A role that would certainly be easier if done in another country in Europe. He is aware that from the moment he starts the internship, he will lose the ability to manage time in a balanced way.
But there is something that Portugal gives people that he can't find anywhere else, which is affection and warmth in personal treatment.
That same personal relationship was what made me want to meet Tiago Constantino.
Joana Sousa
Editorial Team