On May 6th, 2011, I officially became a doctor. The word "overwhelming" comes to mind. For exactly 1 minute while I walked across that stage I experienced a broad range of emotion; nervousness, excitement, joy, relief, shock and fear. It was over. 4 years of nose to the grindstone hard work was over. But now I'm jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.
My future program director was sitting at the end of the processional as I walked off the stage. He stood up and shook my hand, we exchanged kind words and in that very moment the next step of actually having to apply what I know to the well being of others became apparent. In 3 weeks it will be my name on the bottom of prescriptions and on business cards in the wallets of patients. There will be late night pages, central lines to be placed, family meetings to be had. Clinics to wade through, presentations to give, fellowships to research.
I began this blog 4 years ago the night before I started medical school and in some respects I'm leaving exactly as I started; with the anxiety of what will come (though truthfully that's the only thing that remains the same). Here's to hoping my sanity remains intact all the way until 2014.
