September 6, 2008

• Choose your own adventure-The end?

  The last of the choose your own adventure posts comes from Elbowpasta, who on the whole has been very patient in waiting for me to basically answer: How can one maintain any kind of relationship with someone in medschool-does it actually dominate your life, and how is the raunchy sex in the on call room? (except for that last part, my interpretation of her questions)

  Oh elbowpasta, you have basically asked me to sum up in one post roughly 26 years worth of education. Does med school dominate your life? Yes and No. If something IS my life, how can it dominate it? Does the ocean dominate the lives of fish? Right up until the hook pulls them out. By the same token, I like to think of myself as something more than just a white coat-that the 5 years of undergrad, 5 years of medschool, (what can I say? I am all about the victory laps) 4 years of residency, and 3 years of fellowship will all end up contributing more to my overall being than the ability to look at a person and go “yup, you’re sick-do this”

  I have made some amazing friendships in medschool that have had nothing to do with medicine. I picked up cooking as a hobby. I hung out in bars and coffeeshops, went to the lake and did a whole number of things that did not involve me spending every waking moment in front of a textbook. That’s not how it goes for everyone…some people are more gifted, or more concerned with marks…I concern myself with life, and consider that education is what happens in the meantime. Did I have to spend time studying to the exclusion of friends and family? Absolutely. Did that time last 4 years straight? not a chance.

  And of course, I am not as close with some of my college and highschool friends as I was before going to med school, but that growing apart from people is part of growing up. The same thing would have happened had I gone to lawschool, or business school, or anywhere with a workload that is a hazing process in and of itself. Granted there would be less poop jokes, but going through this kind of lengthy education helps you bond with everyone else who has done it because only they can fully understand.

  However it was my friends outside the medical field who I have and continue to turn to in order to help keep me grounded and remind me from time to time that there is more to life than sick people. Some of us are twisted as well.

  I cant go into long distance relationships, because I dont do them. I cant discuss how long term relationships work through med school, because I wasnt one of the people who had them. For some friends it worked, for others it didnt-just like anything it depends on the person.

   As for raunchy sex in the on call room-you are watching too much Grey’s anatomy, and I shant go into my rant about that again on here. Suffice to say, that some people have opportunities for carnal knowledge presented everywhere, and some people will take those opportunities anywhere. There are prison cells better equipped than some call rooms. But that is a whole other post

  —

  Thus concludes this set of choose your own adventure…thanks for the recommends, and those who read through the posts. This one didnt seem to do quite as well as the last, so I probably wont run this game again for a while. Instead the next game is help almost Dr J write his personal statment. It will be the next post up, and all constructive criticism is welcome, nay, encouraged. Their is an entire internet community of writers out there, and dammned if I shouldnt get some use out of that

  -Almost Dr J

  • 5:13 pm
  • 3 Comments