Here it is, week 9 of year 2 of my 4 year journey to be able to call myself Doctor... and what do I have to say for myself? Well, I have a lot to say for myself...I'm pretty dang proud.
I was at Safeway, buying some groceries, which is what one usually does at Safeway... or maybe I was getting some quarters so I could do laundry. I can't recall specifically. However, I was in post anatomy lab garb (my scrubs) and I reeked of formaldehyde. Well, at least I thought I did. After I was finished perusing the isles and securing whatever vittles I required, I proceeded to the check out line. In front of me, the cashier dude, aka Mr. Smooth, was mad flirting with three young ladies. They were laughing and smiling back at him, totally inflating his ego. In that moment, he was a ladies man of ladies men... Mr. Big Pimpin... The tallest of these three young ladies just happens to glance behind her and she catches a glimpse of my scrubs. She looks me up and down... "You a nurse?" she asks. The cashier's face changes from elation to desperation all in one instant. "A nurse? No, I'm a doctor." I couldn't help myself. "Ooooo, a docta'?!!" Her face lights up and her two friends turn to get a look at me too. "This guy's a docta'!" she says to her friends. I fessed up and told them I was a 2nd year medical student, but the damage was done. The attention was no longer on the cashier. When the girls had finished paying and left, the cashier looks at me, half grinning. "Man, you ruined my game!" I just laughed and said, "It's all in the uniform". "I guess I gotta get a better uniform", he says, pointing to his smock. Not to worry, those of you who think I'm being a bit too prideful...I was immediately put back in my place when I left the store, however, and saw my faithful green jalapeno of a not so attractive little truck.... sigh...one day I'll get a new car.
I'm not going to lie, I like the looks people give when they find out that I'm a medical student. It feels pretty good. I think it's ok to take a little gratification from this...especially seeing as how I have pretty much sworn off a social life, good nutrition, and regular sleep for the next few years. Would I do it again up to this point? Heck yes I would! Despite it's difficulty, it has been a wholly rewarding experience. Over the summer my best friend Josh was in AZ visiting. He had this weird swelling in his neck and I was able to use my newly acquired physical exam skills to determine that he had a couple of lymph nodes that were quite enlarged. I urged him to get it checked out when he got home. He later found out that he has stage 3 squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx. I like to think that it was partly my influence, as well as his wife's, that convinced him to get it checked out. He is going to be fine, by the way... its going to be a long journey, but one in which he will succeed. It's experiences like this that validate the tiny nightmare that I signed myself up for.
Is there anything I wouldn't do again? Sure, I wouldn't have started out last year with the same study habits I employed during my undergrad years. They don't work in medical school...You actually have to study! I'm sure there are some other things that I would have done differently, but they're all just details. So, that being said, I'll keep plowing through these weeks and months whose sum total end up with me being able to call myself "Doctor Root"... I still really like the sound of that!
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