Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Reflections on School


When I stop and think about it I realize I am truly happy. I rarely get aggravated or upset. I'm never short-tempered. Nothing is really standing in my way right now. I can't remember the last time I felt down or disheartened. I am really at a point in my life where I understand my goals and responsibilities and I am working hard to achieve them. I am surrounded by good hearts and I am always connected to those that are further away. I can't remember ever feeling so at peace with life. It's odd...who would've thought this zen state would come during med school?!

I finished my 3 exams on Monday. Hopefully they went well. I know I worked hard and more importantly, I have figured out a way to work harder and do even better. My goals are set high and I don't see myself lowering them. I really like the stuff I'm learning about...even when I don't. I realize that seems like a paradox but what I mean is even the most uninteresting topics seem relevant in some way. The specialties I am not even considering still have applicability in whatever I end up doing and either way all of the material is enriching my knowledge. I can't say I'll retain most of it, but while I am learning it I am fascinated by it. Now if only I didn't get tested on it ;)

Anatomy lab is drawing to a close. We finished the limbs and we have moved on to dissecting the head. It is the most personal experience of lab. I think it's moving to look at our cadaver's face and think of how once upon a time that mouth was smiling and that nose was breathing and those eyes were seeing the world. It's an interesting experience to look at the cadaver and see it with a newly infused sense of life. I haven't really thought of it in this way since the first lab. The human aspect disappears when you're elbow deep in cadaver juice. But working on the face brought that back to the surface and I feel a connection with the cadaver. We found out that our cadaver actually had lung cancer and the cause of death was a cerebrovascular accident, or a stroke. That made me think because my first encounter with medicine was actually my grandfather's stroke back when I was in elementary/middle school. It was an emotional experience, finding out about the cadaver's cause of death and age. I think it really makes me appreciate life and how perfectly orchestrated everything really is. It's a beautiful thing.

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