3rd year

So I went to a real hospital for the first time, as a med student. I saw a real patient. I think I’m going to love 3^rd year.  That endorphin release you get when answering a question right is pretty nice. It made me think of the clients I used to work with – the recovering addicts. No wonder they found outdoor movies and spa night so uninteresting; they obliterated their reward pathway (nucleus accumbens!) by overloading it with drug-induced endorphin release.  It made me grateful for the simple endorphin rushes in life. 

So getting questions right feels good. I totally can answer questions confidently, whether or not I have any idea, which the attending seem to appreciate. I can organize data into a coherent presentation. I learn quickly, so the individual variation on what attending prefer will not be much issue.  I actually think I’ve learned something in the past year and a half, so all those things combined will make me a good 3^rd student (I hope).  I really loved the interaction with our preceptor. I forgot how much personalities play into the experience of the healthcare provider. Working at that top-notch hospital before medical school gave me a little window into that. I observed mostly, but I also noticed that the politics and play of personalities.  So much of 3^rd year, it seems, is how personalities fit together. Some students will think their resident is a jerk, and some will like the same person.  It’s not necessarily a good thing, but it’s something I can be good at.

It’s nice to have some decreased anxiety about going to the floors next year. There’s just that pesky step 1 between now and then.