The first thing we did in medical school was to study the Human Anatomy. In essence, this was my first patient as a medical student. So even before I had the chance to study about diseases/pathology, their presentation and treatment, I first had to know my patient. This was basically by studying Human Anatomy from cadavers for about 3 months (or was it about 4?). I really honestly enjoyed it. It was really hard work and lots of information. The 24hrs in a day was not nearly enough for me to get all the material I needed to get into my brain. I had to memorize lots of information .... or should I use the fancier word; commit to memory. So as a senior medical student, I really thought that some of the first year students at my school could draw a little bit of inspiration or motivation from my few words. I had been there, done that and I know that I would have appreciated something of that nature as a first year student. (Picture:I am in the blue scrubs in the school's cadaver lab- in my first months of med school)
As a result, I decided to put down some words for the first year students just before their White Coat ceremony. White coat ceremony is the day that first year medical students get their first white coats - it is sort of an initiation into the physician hood. At my school, It is only handed out after successfully completing Human Anatomy course. Therefore in order to have and wear it, you have to earn it by passing that course! Here's what I wrote. It was entitled:
CONGRATULATIONS on earning your first stripe!
CONGRATULATIONS on coming thus far! Remember your interview day at Maryland? Think of the excitement associated with some degree of nervousness and anxiety. Did they really like me? Did I do my best? What would I have done differently? At one point or the other one, or perhaps, all of these thoughts crossed your mind during the interview/ pre-acceptance season. Then you finally got an acceptance from the first public Medical School in the United States. Because you deserved it! Because you are worth it! That spot couldn't be filled by anyone else!
Then came the first day of Med school with the trials and tribulations of Anatomy and Physiology commonly known as A&P which could as well be a code for what it really seems to be at times: Pain in the A**. On that fateful afternoon of August 26 in the year of our lord 2009, you had your first lesson in A&P. For most of you, It was your first for a lot of things: your first patient, first time to wear scrubs, first time to be in such proximity with cadavers, first time to hold a scalpel, first time to cut through human flesh ... and the list goes on. By the end of "Dissection Session 1", the air was filled with the smell of formaldehyde, a smell which never vamoosed and you learn to breath, learn, eat and play with it. Midway through A&P about "Dissection Session 15", being in class by 8A.M and going to cadaver lab thereafter becomes a daily routine. It becomes programmed in to you. By this time, based on your experiences, some of you who have thought about Surgery prior to med school begin to back off. Some of you begin thinking about Surgery as a career (by the way, don't let your A&P experience, nor any other 1st or 2nd yr course, skew your thinking on career choice - there're many more factors down the road. Keep an open mind).
Then came October 30th 2009 when you had your last session, "Dissection Session 29". Over 2 months of A&P experience under your belt. You really feel like you've accomplished something and you truly have. Time to burn those scrubs! or if you're like me, pack them away so that you'll be able to look back some years from now and be like ... those scrubs! It has been a bumpy road, but one worth taking. After all, medical school isn't that easy but not that bad right? But it sure is hard work and dedication; no doubt these are some of the unique qualities that your future patients will expect of you and nothing less. As you traverse this terrain, remember that energy is neither created nor destroyed. This is not only true in Physics/Chemistry; when you put in energy in the form of hard work and dedication you're simply channeling this energy into some other form which you'll see in the form of good results in the case of an exam/test or a happy and grateful patient within the clinical realms. Once more, CONGRATULATIONS on completing the first segment of your marathon. You're warmed up, momentum is up, and you're on your way. You earned your first stripe - a short white coat! Take it with pride, lift your head up and proceed to the next segment. Welcome to Biochemistry!
Job well done future colleagues & Happy White Coat Ceremony!
Remember, the upper class men are at your disposal.
End of writing.
As a result, I decided to put down some words for the first year students just before their White Coat ceremony. White coat ceremony is the day that first year medical students get their first white coats - it is sort of an initiation into the physician hood. At my school, It is only handed out after successfully completing Human Anatomy course. Therefore in order to have and wear it, you have to earn it by passing that course! Here's what I wrote. It was entitled:
CONGRATULATIONS on earning your first stripe!
CONGRATULATIONS on coming thus far! Remember your interview day at Maryland? Think of the excitement associated with some degree of nervousness and anxiety. Did they really like me? Did I do my best? What would I have done differently? At one point or the other one, or perhaps, all of these thoughts crossed your mind during the interview/ pre-acceptance season. Then you finally got an acceptance from the first public Medical School in the United States. Because you deserved it! Because you are worth it! That spot couldn't be filled by anyone else!
Then came the first day of Med school with the trials and tribulations of Anatomy and Physiology commonly known as A&P which could as well be a code for what it really seems to be at times: Pain in the A**. On that fateful afternoon of August 26 in the year of our lord 2009, you had your first lesson in A&P. For most of you, It was your first for a lot of things: your first patient, first time to wear scrubs, first time to be in such proximity with cadavers, first time to hold a scalpel, first time to cut through human flesh ... and the list goes on. By the end of "Dissection Session 1", the air was filled with the smell of formaldehyde, a smell which never vamoosed and you learn to breath, learn, eat and play with it. Midway through A&P about "Dissection Session 15", being in class by 8A.M and going to cadaver lab thereafter becomes a daily routine. It becomes programmed in to you. By this time, based on your experiences, some of you who have thought about Surgery prior to med school begin to back off. Some of you begin thinking about Surgery as a career (by the way, don't let your A&P experience, nor any other 1st or 2nd yr course, skew your thinking on career choice - there're many more factors down the road. Keep an open mind).
Then came October 30th 2009 when you had your last session, "Dissection Session 29". Over 2 months of A&P experience under your belt. You really feel like you've accomplished something and you truly have. Time to burn those scrubs! or if you're like me, pack them away so that you'll be able to look back some years from now and be like ... those scrubs! It has been a bumpy road, but one worth taking. After all, medical school isn't that easy but not that bad right? But it sure is hard work and dedication; no doubt these are some of the unique qualities that your future patients will expect of you and nothing less. As you traverse this terrain, remember that energy is neither created nor destroyed. This is not only true in Physics/Chemistry; when you put in energy in the form of hard work and dedication you're simply channeling this energy into some other form which you'll see in the form of good results in the case of an exam/test or a happy and grateful patient within the clinical realms. Once more, CONGRATULATIONS on completing the first segment of your marathon. You're warmed up, momentum is up, and you're on your way. You earned your first stripe - a short white coat! Take it with pride, lift your head up and proceed to the next segment. Welcome to Biochemistry!
Job well done future colleagues & Happy White Coat Ceremony!
Remember, the upper class men are at your disposal.
End of writing.
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