Now that us fourth-years are matched and many have completed their medical school rotations, we are entirely free!
I finished my last elective last week, and have a mixture of feelings – triumph, joy, pride, excitement, and nervousness. Triumph and joy at completing medical school, pride for matching into my number one choice for residency, excitement at starting a new chapter in life and for the fun things I have planned until June, and nervousness at becoming a doctor and having more stake in patients’ lives now. With COVID-19 cases still amidst and restrictions still in place, it is more difficult to have a proper celebration and to travel, which most medical students do upon graduation. However, all of us are vaccinated now and should be able to take trips with caution!
I have a couple of vacations planned, which feels so gratifying as a reward for finishing medical school and also as the pandemic starts to settle down a bit. Beyond the vacations, I have been doing absolutely nothing academically productive – relaxing, watching my favorite shows, reading, and spending time with family with zero responsibilities. It feels AMAZING, and I advise all fourth year medical students do the same if they are not already. Some students have asked whether or not they should be preparing for the beast that is intern year, but the advice we get from every single resident is the same, which is a loud resounding NO. As advised by our superiors, this is the last time we will be completely free, and we should take advantage of it. Even after residency is complete and you become an attending, you will never have several months of time where there are no responsibilities ever again.
Do all the things you enjoy, whether that be adventure seeking, relaxing, or just catching up on sleep! There is time to reacquaint yourself with the hospital and that is when intern year starts. Take this golden ticket and cherish this relaxing ride until a new ride begins.
