This blog is long overdue. At least, to me it is. When I started medical school in August 2009, I told myself I would start one and keep a daily (or as close to daily as possible) record of what medical school was like. I didn't have any high-hopes for the blog. If anything, it would be a way for me to go back and reflect on things I had been through, lessons I had learned, and a means of helping those who would follow in their journey.
Now, with all the melodramatic dreck out of the way, let's be honest. All of us in medical school, as well as the medical profession, are arrogant. Every. Single. One of us. I love hearing myself talk (or blog) as much as I'm sure you do. Besides, what IS a blog if not a means of throwing your own opinions and thoughts out into the aether of the internet for all to read. I mean, I have something to say, and everyone needs to hear it, damn it! Right?!
Medical school is tough, I'm not going to lie. My classmates and I have just finished our first year and are beginning the first bit of our second in the coming week. We've all earned out battle scars: our first failed test, realizing we weren't the hotshots we thought we were coming into school, and generally finding ourselves becoming more irritable as time and sleeplessness take their tolls. Why do we keep doing it? Because we love it. I truly believe every medical student secretly harbors a martyr complex. We LOVE letting people know about "how hard it is" and "how tired we are", and then following up with the explanation that "we're doing it to help people". Do you know how hard it is to dissect the brachial plexus when I'm already up here on a cross? It's difficult, let me tell ya...
Don't get me wrong, I love every moment of this experience, and I like nearly every person in my class. They're wonderful people with whom, even if they don't know it, I have formed a bit of comraderie. We're martyrs, but we're martyrs together.
You might be asking yourself, "why am I still reading this? where is he even GOING with this rant?" Well, I'm pleased you've asked, even if it was just to yourself. As the days turn into weeks, and the weeks into months, and the months into years, this blog will be filled with stories from the underground: the nitty-gritty of daily medical student life. Some stories will be funny, some will be sad, and some will just be stories, no moral or emotional response needed. I'm always open to questions in the comment section, and will do my best to answer in a timely fashion.
Thanks for reading!
