I decided to take a break from cramming for Step One, which I have coming up in a couple of weeks, to write my first ever blog post on here. I’m doing this for the sole purpose of sharing some of my experience of medical school, and not at all to avoid studying…
One of my favorite parts about medical school so far has been the wide diversity of people I’ve had the opportunity of meeting and interacting with over the past two years. Some of these people have become great friends to me, others are people I love getting to see in the halls or stop and have a quick conversation with, and still others are classmates, faculty, staff, or other people that I just haven’t had the opportunity to get to know yet. The people have been the highlight of my medical school experience to date.
That being said, I miss the clinical world. I miss interacting with patients and coworkers, but in just about a month I’ll be starting my clinical rotations. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous but my excitement to be back in the mix of patient care far outweighs my nerves. Working with classmates and having the opportunity to learn so much about medicine has been great, but I didn’t decide to go to medical school to read books. I decided to go into medicine because I want to make a difference in patients’ lives.
Reflecting on my first two years in medical school and thinking about the years to come, my thoughts keep circling back around to the idea that these two settings, the classroom and the clinic, aren’t as different as they might seem. The day-to-day of the two is drastically different, but the central core is the exact same for me. They both revolve around people. Family and friends that have supported me and encouraged me throughout my journey, classmates, and faculty that have pushed me to succeed and continue to become a better student, and my (future) patients that continue to set a purpose for all the hard work. It’s always been about the people, regardless of the setting.
The people around me continue to remind me of the reasons why I do what I do. It’s held true for every step of this journey I’ve completed so far, and I don’t think that’s going to change for me anytime soon. As I sit here doing whatever I can to avoid thinking about the monumental exam that lays before me, I think about how blessed I’ve been to be surrounded by great people throughout this journey. Looking past this upcoming board exam, I hope that one day I can return the favor and be this type of blessing in my future patients’ lives.
