The other day I was grabbing a quick bite at Wahoo's when my attention was drawn to a large gathering of (pretty loud) young adults. Not unruly, just festive. In the midst of them was a grandfatherly man with a very recognizable white mustache. Dr. French was my medical school pharmacology professor and powderpuff referee. Apparently 8 years later, he's still going strong, celebrating the first exam of the Neurology block with the students and his co-block director and co-referee Dr. Ojemann.
In a fit of rare extroversion, I said hi to the students and my former professors. (Yes, the profs did remember the only first-year team to ever beat the second years!) The students were jubilant with the prospect of an evening without studying (hence the volume of their gathering), and excited to meet an alum who survived. It brought back lots of memories and nostalgia--those of powderpuff were infinitely more positive than those of memorizing The Oje's neural pathways.
The profs commented that it must be nice to be done with schooling and residency and into my real doctor life. And how! Although I would do it again if given the chance, I'm extremely grateful to be done with that part of my life.
It's a rite of passage for sure, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Little lights of dinners out at the end of exams, sure, but also bigger lights of realizing why it is that you spent so long memorizing all of those details. The light when you use that knowledge to treat a patient, when you actually get to do what it is you trained so hard to be able to do.
And the light of still being able to play flag football. That, too.
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