Year one classes - FINITO!

24 decks of flashcards + 6 large D-ring binders + tanks of coffee + 4 class tardiness warnings + loss of all muscle mass I once had + 1 campus parking ticket + 2 dodgeball teams + countless hangovers = end of first year.

Just ended the last of my classes for the first year of medical school. Feelings of both elation and wonder of how the frack I got through it all are spinning through my head. I guess it wasn't really that bad. I mean...sure I went from this:



to this:



and this:



to this:



BUT overall I've gotta say it was an eye opening year. I have a complete new respect for the doctors ahead of me. I've always been told that it'd be a long journey, but it's not until you see yourself turning your phone off to block off the rest of your life, stop doing groceries for 2 months, and forgetting the basic routine to keeping good hygiene that you appreciate how many sacrifices medical professionals make. Just 15 hours of exams to write and after that, I'm as free as the current situation in ummmmm - well, let's be real - I have no idea what's going on in the world politically to actually make a decent real-life analogy. At least now I understand the minute differences between toxins in fried rice and those in raw hamburgers. And if I'm ever quizzed on the appearance of a strawberry cervix, I'll also know the bits.

Summer plans are looking great though. I'm traveling to London for a week as the World Cup kicks off and then backpacking India for a month before heading to the Himalayas to do health education and health checks. It's nice to know that other than spending the rest of my natural existence in the library, I have this to look forward to this summer:



Summer plans

Option 1

There's more going on the minds of medical students than looming exams (quite evident given me writing a blog despite being severely behind in understanding the autonomics of the urinary tract), grades, research, celebrity gossip etc. There's the daunting ask of deciding what next. As in - what next after medical school?

First of all, I am not one to poo poo on the family docs. I just saw mine the other day and was amazed by his knowledge, interpersonal skills, and ability to help me out. And despite being on the "bottom of the medical food chain" he grossed over 400K last year. Not bad for a few years of residency. Anyway, so there's always that option (plus working with a wide patient population and the ability to focus on whatever interests you out w/ a GP specialty is pretty cool).

But the point of this blog. I think (though it'll probably change given my fickle nature) I am actually interested in ... brace yourself ...radiology (gasp - I know, I thought the same thing). For those of you who aren't sure what radiology is, imagine this:



Yeah an Xray doctor. Who knew it'd be so interesting? Maybe it's just because it's the only thing I know how to do properly right now (i.e. read a picture). I actually think it stems from my interest in photography. Who knew one interest would snowball into something completely different. I guess maybe there really is such thing as a job that combines all your interests.