They break you down to build you up...again and again.

I don't know it if is a good thing or a bad thing that we have 50% of our grade on the line in the last three weeks of school (really mostly in the last two weeks). We had our practical in Doctor, Patient and Society last Monday, we have two practicals on Thursday (anatomy and histology), our third written exam is the 17th and our final is the 22nd. I am a worrier and I've been so good, but everyone has their limits! I'm trying to stay calm and focused, but it is getting stressful.

I've never been in the military (nor do I want to be), but I hear that during boot camp (or basic training or whatever they call it) the recruits are broken down then rebuilt. Well, I can tell you without a doubt, medical training is the same way. As you talk to students further in training become more calm and confident. They talk about the first few semester like it was a battle they barely survived; however, once they get toward the end of the second year they are more confident. This is good since you take your first boards in your 5th semester: the USMLE step 1 (DUN DUN DUN). This test has a huge impact on what residency you will get. Bottom line, you MUST pass. If you want to be a plastic surgeon or a dermatologist, you gosh darn better get in the upper echelon. However, medical training isn't done breaking you down after you pass Step 1--now you go into the hospital and realize that you really don't know much of anything. Okay, that isn't fair, you know a LOT of stuff, but you probably don't know how to use your knowledge yet. So, the next two years of clinical rotations will break you down and build you up again. Then you get to take the USMLE Step 2 (not as important). After you pass that, your feeling great--Your name is now Doctor! But the medical community isn't done breaking you down and building you up, because now you are an intern (your first year of residency). Yup, the bottom of the barrel again with TONS to learn and another set of boards-USMLE Step 3 (I don't think it is as bad by this point, but then again, I don't know yet). You will finish your residency and be back on top, then you will either start a fellowship or join a practice as an attending---bottom of the barrel again. I guess you get the idea.

I suppose it isn't any different than another profession: the young and less experienced have a lot to learn and they will be put in their place by the more experienced and wiser teachers. However, in medicine as in the military, lives are on the line--it is just a little more intense.

Speaking of intense, I've got an intense study regimen and by break is over. I just love sea side sunsets and I take tons of pictures. Today, toward the south there was a storm brewing and looking south was beautiful. Hope you enjoy:

The above picture, was looking toward the Cabrits (the two mountains) toward the north part of Dominica.

Looking south (the pier is coming from the restaurant at the hotel (I live in a hotel)). A storm came in about an hour after I took this picture; but it just rained out to sea.