The "Aha" Moment

The other day while in neurology I had a patient's room number I didn't recognize.  "Where is 5702" I asked my colleague.  "Oh it's in the new cardiac building.  I think you have to cross over on the 4th floor or something."  "Oh yeah."  Though I only vaguely thought I knew where the floor was, I proceeded to go down to the 4th floor,  through ICU to the new building and immediately find my patient on the 5th floor.  Then I realized . . . I know my way around.  All hospitals are mazes and starting at community hospitals in 3rd year I was pretty sure I'd only know where a few things were (residents lounge, cafeteria, patients for one service).   Then to my surprise I find by the 3rd month of my 4th year I actually know my way around.

Every year of medical school seems to have an aha moment.  A moment where you're doing something you never thought you would.

• 1st year you realize - wow I am actually reading all of this information.
• 2nd year - you have the moment when you are not actually panicing about Step 1 of the boards (at the moment
• 3rd year- Is the moment when an attending tells you to go see a patient and you do.  You don't think about it.  You don't freak out and go through in your head what am I supposed to ask them.  You just see the patient
• Now 4th year when you realize you know your way around.

I've often heard from attendings that 3rd year is the transition from patient to doctor for medical students and by the time you are at the end of 3rd year and beginning of 4th you are pretty much a doctor.   What I didn't realize is that certain things just become automatic when that happens.  Like doing an History and Physical and finding your way around.  Here's to Fourth Year !

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