When the whole med school thing popped into my head, I’m a little embarrassed to say, I did the age math. Ugh! I’m going to be in my thirties when/if I graduate, and my mid- to late-thirties when I finish residency. And then my life is practically over. Okay, an exaggeration for sure, but my attitude was ludicrous nonetheless: a) although I sometimes wish it were otherwise, I’m definitely not an anomaly, as taking years off before school is pretty standard, if not the norm; 2) I think, just maybe, there is life past 35 (haven’t we learned anything from Sex and the City?).
Sometimes it’s a little difficult to watch the friends from college go on and become doctors while I’m only starting school. But much much more often, it’s nice to have people I love and admire kind of show me how it’s done, become the type of physician I hope to be.
Lisa is a pediatrician. I think she was always supposed to be a pediatrician. She has a gentle warmth and kind temperament about her that attracts people, especially children. I got to know her in the Dominican Republic, watching her play baseball with the children of Esperanza. I was trying to describe her to my neighbor yesterday…she’s one of those exceptional people who is able to handle stress and keep all her ducks in a row, like a real adult or something. She always had a life outside of med school, making time to have lunch with me on the corner while studying for the boards, volunteering at a camp for children with special needs while serving as president of UVA Med. And, when she stayed with John and me for her Boston interviews, I discovered that she wears a purple suit. Love that girl.
Yesterday I came home to find a package with my name on it in curly print. Inside were some treats in tupperware and a note: “Nothing like some hot chocolate and cookies after a hard day of school/studying. Good luck with this semester! xoxo, Lisa” Did I mention that she’s in her intern year? She probably made the cookies post-call. I think I’m a few months older, but I still want to be her when I grow up.
anna in med school 