After a 2 year hiatus a lot has happened. I have spent a good portion of those two years with innumerable patients in the hospital. They were my teachers on this journey of medical education. As it seems I have not been posting to this blog i a long time, I'm not certain the fate of its future. It might simply disappear into internet obscurity and fade away... or perhaps at some point I will be narcissistic enough once again to believe that others want to hear my half-baked thoughts and life happenings. This chapter, the medical school days, has closed. I am officially a doctor and will be heading up to Stanford for my Emergency Medicine Residency training. For completeness, I want to include this last tid-bit from medical school. I had the honor of being the class speaker for our graduation. The following is my speech (and ill try and post the video later.
All the best,
~Nic
Good Morning Friends, Family, Faculty, and graduating physicians,
I have to say, when the honor to speak was bestowed upon me, I was shocked. You see, I have a confession to make. Due to some negligence on my part, I was actually rejected from UCSD med school 4 years ago. The proof is right here, “Dear Nicholas, we regret to inform you that we will not be able to offer you an interview at UCSD… yada-yada-yada… Signed, Dr. Kelly, Dean of Admissions.” Owch! So I did what any overdriven premed would do: I pretended like I hadn’t seen the letter and sent my secondary application in anyway, and low and behold, somehow made it in. So a quasi-imposter is in your midst, but I’m sure at some point we all felt like we didn’t belong here, didn’t feel smart or capable enough at one time or another (med school does a good job of bringing out your insecurities), and yet we each persevered and look where we’ve come!
Nonetheless, I can’t tell you what an honor it is to stand here amongst my classmates and colleagues, a group of individuals who have earned my utmost respect, people with the drive and determination to achieve regardless of the hurdles ahead of them. They are smart and savvy beyond description. They are the class of 200-freakin’-9 and they redefine the word awesome. Understandibly, some have steadfast dedication to that corner desk on the second floor of the library, you know the one with a view. Others can say they have never stepped foot in a library… that’s a joke. I’m pretty sure that’s technically impossible.
But… I don’t have to stand here and tell you how difficult medical school is, or what an accomplishment has been achieved. You, our friends and our families, already know, because each and every one out you out there has a vested interest in us. You have heard of the sleepless nights studying for the next exam, or taking care of patients during the 30th hour of call. You were there for us when we were frustrated or ready to throw in the towel. You were the stability in our lives that we needed, the listening ears, the words of encouragement. You understood when we couldn’t make it home for Thanksgiving, when we didn’t return your calls for a week (or two), when we bailed on you to study or work. And when, worst of all, our sense of humor gravitated – slowly, yet ceaselessly – towards jokes about bodily fluids (sorry about that). You were our biggest advocates and for that we have to say thank you. So thank you. You mean the world to us.
And to our teachers, faculty, mentors, and staff. Look what you have created? Another batch of fact-memorizing machines! Pretty good looking ones at that! But we have also learned compassion and regard for the human spirit through you. You have taken us to new heights. You taught us that the length of your hand in relation to that of your face is, in fact, not a predictor of cancer. That peeing on someone after a jellyfish sting is not palliative, its just plain rude, and will precipitate the loss of friends. We learned that there is, indeed, erectile tissue in the sinuses of your nose. And you made us keenly aware that medical eponyms are to be eschewed and spat out.
And to my colleagues in the Class of 2009: in a time of economic turmoil, congratulations on your employment! Lets hear it for future job security, huh? I bet being gainfully employed will never taste so sweet. And although perhaps you, like me, have developed a taste for Ramen noodles — which interestingly, seems to positively correlate with my level of debt. Lets be sure to order the steak tonight (while our parents are still willing to foot the bill). I’ll be expecting some facebook updates and tweets on twitter on how good it was.
Today we graduate and earn that long white coat. The same long white coat that quite frankly, those that sell makeup at Nordstrom’s get on their first day of work for free. But more than just a piece of fabric, it symbolizes the transformation we have made over the past 4 years, and now completes the metamorphosis from student doctor to doctor. From wide-eyed students paralyzed by fear on that first day drawing each other’s blood, to now physicians who will teach the next batch of neophytes that same skill. Yes physicians. You have come a long way. You have delivered babies, taken care the dying, participated in the art of surgery, and healed many.
But what does that long white coat mean to you? Think about this moment… you are now a doctor. What kind of doctor will you be? What kind of enthusiasm, compassion, and humanity will you bring to the patient’s bedside? And what will you do to advocate for patients, for medicine, for a single payer system, for change? Think about these things and set your goals high, because that diploma, that long white coat, and the letters “MD” by your name – are but a step in the long march of achievements in your life (albeit a pretty sizable and auspicious step).
So this is the end of med school, graduation. From now on, there will be no more midterms or finals, no more pass or honors. From now on, if we fail we will be failing our patients, and when we succeed, we will be doing so for them as well. It’s empowering and incredibly sobering at the same time. But, you know what Class of 2009? We are ready. Jonas Salk once said, “Hope lies in dreams, in imagination and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.” Class of 2009 you have shown courage, and today you have made those dreams a reality! Here is to success, I love you guys and am so proud of you all!
All the best,
~Nic
posted by Kanaan2 at
10:33 PM
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1 comments
I thought I should have this on here
Oh and probably this one too