The Climb

On Friday afternoon, I finished up my elective in Allergy Medicine and headed back home, stopping by the Pancake House for a plate full of waffles. It had been an exhausting day - for some reason, I hadn't been able to sleep the night before. I've just moved out from my parent's house, and my apartment was an absolute disaster. Sitting there, staring out of the rain-streaked window, I felt like I was in a twilight zone - half conscious, not fully sure where I was. I also had a stomachache - by this point, I regretted the waffles big time.

It's been a challenging couple of months at med school, a relentless onslaught of training, tutorials and readings. Near the end of June, we all completed the OSCE, a clinical exam in which med students rotate between ten different stations. Actors pretend to be patients suffering from real conditions. Meanwhile, a doctor sits in the room and evaluates the student's performance. Some of the stations involve complicated ethical scenarios, a reminder of the Multiple Mini Interviews prior to med school.

At McMaster, our summer consists of 7 weeks of clinical electives and one week of vacation. My electives began in early July with Allergy Medicine - I've spent day after day performing skin tests, making tiny perforations on people's arms before applying small amounts of allergic substances. The Allergy team stores a vast variety of these allergens, from "horse epidermis" to a variety of tree nuts.

Yesterday morning the real challenge began with Emergency Medicine. I was fully prepared for some intense clinical action, but instead I spent two hours at the parking office trying to get a student transponder. Despite this initial setback, it was thrilling to step into the trauma unit for the first time. This is the heart of medicine, where doctors race against time to save lives. The unit is equipped with sophisticated equipment to rescue patients from the brink of death.

The day ended up being fairly productive. I improved my dictation skills, learned how to use the computer system, and interviewed a couple patients. At the same time, I felt intimidated by the seemingly endless medical details with each case, details that the ER doctors seem to have mastered. Sometimes, especially at the end of a stressful day, I look at the 5+ years of medical training in front of me and wish that I could just speed through it, somehow "zapping" all the information into my brain. It would be lovely to have a steady job and a regular paycheque.

Things that are keeping me sane: Playing with my dog (she's become quite a beauty), trash TV (namely "Desperate Housewives") and my family and friends.

All I need to do now is grit my teeth and keep pressing forward, step by step.