A Few Short Stories:
1. Last night, I went to my very first pharmaceutical rep dinner party. It was phenomenal. Ethical discrepancies aside, I enjoyed an evening filled with enjoyable learning. First of all, we went to this high-class, top-end restaurant (where the average cost of one-person dining is well above $100), and the reps obviously paid for our meals. We had these delicious starters of scallops and crab cakes and mushrooms with cheese on bread and gorgeous salads and homemade bread and butter. The entire time we were at the presentation, they served us free drink as well - and only served top shelf liquors (not that I'd know, but the dirty martinis had some phenomenal queen olives and the Riesling was top notch). The meal was a choice between filet mignon, seared tuna, or chicken breast with smashed red skin potatoes and fresh asparagus. And the desert was a huge portion of either carrot or chocolate cake, already put into a to-go container (no way could any one eat the amount of food we were served in one sitting). So, food and drink was delicious. Got it. It was a beautiful venue. Okay. But why we were there was the best part of the night - the studies that were presented were so interesting. I couldn't get enough. Seriously. This thing they were "selling" seems to have a lot of potential in providing life-saving and cost-effective care to oncology patients. I was on the edge of my seat as I listened to the implications that this thing had. Seriously, I left the restaurant feeling on top of the world - I had this "a-ha" moment where it dawned on me that I am precisely where I am supposed to be right now, and I have discovered what I am meant to do with my life and it is exactly what I was put on earth to do. Not that the grey goose had anything to do with it... ;)
* On a side note, to calm my ethical disturbance with this "free" evening, I am donating what I would have spent on the night to our local branch of the American Cancer Society.
2. After putting off scheduling an appointment with my PCP for an infection that I've been trying to fight off, I finally spoke with him today.
MD: So, how long have you been feeling these symptoms?
Me: Since last Tuesday.
MD: Last Tuesday...like, as in 3 days ago?
Me: No, as in 10 days ago.
MD: So why see me today? Why not push it off longer? Why have you come in to see me already?
Me: Oh, (that's a strange way to ask me, but) it's just gotten pretty awful since yesterday, so I thought I'd better just come in to see you.
MD: Ok. You just don't seem too worried about it...
Me: I guess I'm not real concerned, I'd just like to feel a bit better.
MD: ...are you from a farm?
Me: Erm, eh, yeah, yes, I was raised on a farm...(confused look on my face as I try to figure out why in the world had he asked me that as part of my HPI)
MD: Oh! Ha!Ha!
Me: ...why?
MD: It's been in my experience that people from a farm act the same; if they feel well enough to be able to get done what they need to get done, to be able to work, then they don't think they're sick enough to see the doctor.
Me: Yeah! That's exactly how my family is, that's how I am. That's crazy how you've got that figured out.
MD: Well, my parents were farmers, and I practiced in a rural setting for many years, so I've had a lot of experience.
...hmm...so now I see why Mike has been so upset with me for not being seen earlier! I just don't want to ever be diagnosed with "med school-itis" or the "I-think-I-have-this-rare-disease-that-I-just-read-about" syndrome. Those are some scary things! ;)
3. This week during clinic, I overheard one of the Physicists interviewing a candidate who was applying for medical school. He put up an Xray of a woman's left thorax and asked the potential student what she thought about it, then proceeded to ask a whole bunch of physics and chemistry questions regarding how xrays are taken, differences between imaging techniques, how ionizing radiation works, etc. To be fair to her, she did pretty well, but she just sounded like an overly-confident know-it-all. For the questions which she clearly didn't have an answer (and no one would expect her to - they were trick questions), she made up some stuff and wiggled around giving a real answer rather than just admitting that she doesn't know. I couldn't help but think of the reason she was interviewing as a late-entry candidate might be because no other school liked her over-confidence, either. It's a shame, she really was smart. But no one likes a pretty smart doctor who doesn't know enough to know what she doesn't know.
I came to realize that I was in her shoes not so long ago, albeit not as a late applicant. Unlike her, I had just a few general medical knowledge questions, and most of my interviews were spent in ethical scenarios and conversations so that the interviewer could get to know me. I can't believe how much I've changed since my medical school interview 4 years ago. I've really grown up, but I still hope that am that same polite and compassionate girl I was when I was accepted into med school. I sure try to be.
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