Last Day Of Medical School

I wish I could have written this post on Friday, but I’ve been ill with a vaccine-resistant strain of the seasonal flu. I could barely stay awake during Friday’s lectures, and much to my dismay, I found myself running to the parking garage rather than celebrating the end of medical school with my classmates over an ice cream social. Yep, you read that right – as of Friday, I’ve officially finished all the coursework for medical school.

I was up most of the morning with fevers and chills, but it was a good time to reflect on the patients I’ve cared for in similar health. Regardless of what politicians do to micromanage healthcare, there’s little they can do to taint the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship. And I’m grateful for that.

So let me do some math: 2 years of pre-school + 1 year of kindergarten + 11 years of grade school + 3 years of undergrad + 4 years of medical school = 😯

What makes medicine even more dynamic is that it truly requires lifelong learning. As a resident physician, I’ll be learning from my attendings, my resident colleagues, medical students, and especially from patients. So in spite of over two decades of “formal” education, I’ve got a lifetime to go. 🙂

I just can’t believe how far I’ve come. It feels like yesterday that I was getting acquainted with a large lecture hall filled with brilliant minds all pursuing a common goal. My classmates and I will find out whether we matched into our respective fields in roughly 24 hours, and then Match Day is five days away!