A doctor in the making

I intended to write my first blog post in August after starting Medical School to document the journey that I am on from the very beginning. However, as expected, this has been a whirlwind and I am finally getting time for myself... I am titling this as "A doctor in the making" to remember how it feels to be 1/8 of the way done with medical school. To most, it seems like I still have a long ways to go. To my peers and I, it feels like we have been on this steep, upward climb full of biochemistry, neurology, and immunology for years. We can finally start to see where we are headed and that is us treating and caring for patients. I am so excited to be able to share my experiences from the last four months with you all!

First things first, medical school is hard! Everyone will say this, but not everyone knows what this means. It means you can study everything and still go into your exam not sure how you will perform. This is such a new concept for me since I was able to successfully complete college without too much anxiety (or maybe I repressed the bad memories of college?).

The people you meet in Medical School are also going to be doctors, so treat one another with respect. It has been so fun to be able to assist one another in our journey and to encourage each other by reminding others that "a doctor who barely passed an exam in med school is still a doctor." Wow what a concept... Finding a study group who is diligent and willing to study even when we are exhausted and overwhelmed is something that everyone needs in my opinion.

You can find time to do things that you enjoy, but you have to really be good at time management. For me, this was making time to see our "forever" friends for Sushi (even though I order chicken) and being present at my niece's birthday party. You don't want to miss out on life or relationships just because you are doing something hard in your career. However, this doesn't mean that you can say yes to everything either... Unfortunately, I have experienced some real "fear of missing out" when I see my friends post about things they have gotten to do. In these situations, I just remind myself that I am in this for the long-run.

Another aspect of things to enjoy is community service. I have had really great service opportunities so far including mentoring pre-medical students, volunteering at a Farmer's Market, pulling weeds at a community garden/learning about composting and chatting with an elderly patient. I encourage everyone, not just students, to find something you are passionate about in life and pursue it.

In relation to this, I was talking with my mom the other day about her friend who said to her, "I am happy that I am retiring so that I can start...(a volunteer activity that she was excited about)" Unfortunately, we cannot live in an idea of our future selves. If I did this, I would be saying, "I can start living my life when I am an attending Physician." This would take me 11 more years and I want to live now with purpose. I read a book given to me by a few friends years ago. It is called Don't waste your life by John Piper. I really recommend it for anyone searching for a purposeful life or just a good read.

Finally, the support that I have had from my friends and family has been like no other. I really appreciate when my husband takes out my dog for walks on days that I have exams or when he makes me food because I sit at my desk for HOURS.