Welcome to Third Year
You show up way too early -- before the sunrise -- unsure what door, office, or doctor’s lounge you’re looking for. You're dressed in a white coat, and can’t help but notice that nobody around you wears one. You have no clue what your preceptor even looks like. You just hope to make a good first impression.
Stand tall, you remind yourself. Firm handshake. Look them in the eye. Say your first AND last name. Act nonchalant; like you've got this; like you're not worried.
Did you need to bring a lunch or do they usually go to the cafeteria? Should you grab your pocket notebook? Can you look up information on your phone?
You wonder if asking questions is bothering them. You act like you’re cool. Like you've got this.
Slowly, after 12-hour days and weeks of exhaustion, you wake up every morning less stressed. Your sleep becomes more restful. You can eat breakfast without forcing yourself. You figure out the hallways, exits, and turns around the hospital, only getting lost once or twice. You're getting better at pretending to know where you are going. You recognize which staff members like you. You also begin to recognize the ones you should probably try to ignore -- you understand when it's best to just do your own thing.
Small talk between you, your preceptor, and other physicians feels less forced. You get to know each other and, if all goes well, they ask you questions about your life. You start answering on-the-spot "pimp questions" without panic, even if you’re wrong.
Then the time comes.
It's usually about a month or so into the rotation. You feel like a member of the team. You understand what is expected of you, and you see yourself improving. Preceptors begin to trust your skills and give you more independence. You can work through the EMR & round on patients/report without taking what seems like an eternity. You are proud. You can feel the growth.
Then the rotation is over. You take an exam you hardly studied for, hoping that your hands-on learning comes in clutch, and you’re done.
You get the weekend off and start the process from Day 1.
ALL. OVER. AGAIN.
New hospital. New specialty. New people. New schedule. New challenges.
Back to square one.
Justine Lawson
Osteopathic Medical Student - 3rd Year (OMS III)
Student Ambassador
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences