Celebration

Seems fitting that my 300th post is marking a milestone as big as residency graduation, not that I planned it that way. Friday night we got to celebrate the culmination of years and years of school and training...my 13 years of basic schooling, 4 years at Creighton, 4 years of medical school, 3 years of residency...basically I've been in learning mode my whole life, working towards this moment when I can call myself a pediatrician. (Minus the fact that I still have three weeks left of work. Whatever.)

 We had a beautiful night and a great event space down in Power and Light. Lots of family members and lots of faculty mentors come to send us off. I was asked/volunteered to give a tribute to our program directors, thanking them for their support over the last three years. It's hard to put into words stuff like that, but I was grateful for the opportunity; we don't say thank you enough.

This was before I started crying

I also had the great surprise of winning The Wasserman Personality Award (aka The Tie Award), given by one of our great retired toxicologists to a graduating male and female based on "no specific criteria, just gut feel." This was Wass' 42nd graduation, although he attended via video because he's in the hospital, and he has been a Children's Mercy institution and a model of excellence in clinical prowess and resident education. I have no idea what prompted him to award me a tie, but I am honored.

"It can be a scarf or a belt"

All in all, it felt like a very fitting tribute to all of our work, sweat, and tears, and I'm proud to claim Children's Mercy and my classmates, and will be sad to leave it all behind. Thanks to the fam for making an event of it and braving I-70 and early mornings.