White lights,old city

Dinner under the stars, courtesy of generous housemates. A cool breeze transforms a hot day to a warm evening.

How do we transform ourselves from awkward med students into the people you trust with your life? Somewhere in our lectures, and first patient histories and physical exams are the seeds.

What will we become if we are more worried about remembering OPQRSTADA*for a patient history then the pain they are presently in, the cancer they may be dying of?

Dinner with friends while the patients I saw today are likely still in the hospital..I hope they had some moments of joy, somehow, today.

*a mnemonic for remembering the type of questions to ask a patient about their illness.

Polydactyl Pollyanna

You don't often think of Pollyanna and Hemingway in the same sentence, but with my kitty you can. She has extra toes on her front feet..Hemingway was particularly fond of cats with this genetic mutation and filled his island in Key West with them.

I have a coat

About 4 years ago I tried to imagine my life 5 years in the future in pure images (no words). I pictured myself putting on white to go to work. I was not planning at that time to go to medical school any time soon. I kept puzzling over why I had pictured myself wearing white and tried to think of what job it was I had seen myself doing.

It seems obvious now. But there were plenty of twists and turns and a great deal of help and inspiration on the way to this white coat.

Pretty in Pink

Pink Oleander and pink Adobe on my bike ride to class this morning. It was overcast today, the air cool after last night's pyrotechnical thunder and lightning show. We worked on our class Mission and Vision, a worthwhile pause for reflection in the dash towards medical knowledge.

Rock climbing at the wall and cooking dinner just rounds out the day, along with my beautiful stethoscope arriving in the mail!

All that we can't leave uneaten

After lecture, yoga. At the end of yoga, a woman singing in sanskrit? seems like a dream. After that, ice cream - lemon ginger and almond... Then home to cook and study and watch lightning storms outside my window. A good day.

Sorted

A little pomp and circumstance goes a long way...whether it is carefully preparing a flaming drink for eager med students, or presenting the faculty mentors one by one, and have them stand in a line of white coats and achievements facing us.

We are told which mentor will be ours for the next four years. We have been sorted.

I think of times in England, the shorter academic robes we had to wear to dine in the hall, standing while the upperclassmen processed to the high table in their full gown.

These rituals set apart a time of life, a part of yourself. I think they are worth it, flaming blue shots and all.

And when all was said and done, and we were sorted into 'Societies', we saw our first patient. She had advice for us "Listen". And if we remember nothing else, I hope we remember her.

What's Up Doc?

First Official day of Med School...Orientation with all 120 of us, alot of hints from 2nd years...a whirlwind of information, which volunteer opportunities?, what research?, which textbooks (if any)?

The picture is the feeling I want to remember, shadowing Daddy-O in the ER -You can see what that is like.