Docs
Friday was graduation here at WashU - sadly, I didn't get to go and was still in the hospital running around takin' care of folks. (With one patient getting prepped for brain surgery on Monday morning. Ulp.) But, Friday was the day that most of my original class of 2009 changed from the mess of Mr./Ms./Mrs./Miss to Dr. Hurrah!
It's a big deal, when you think about it. Well, most graduations are (past, say, elementary school) - you move, you change your field, you get a real job, etc. Yet, the day after graduation you rarely feel particularly different. The trick here is that once you get that M.D., you can start prescribing medication and writing orders - that's a real, concrete change. Oh, and people also start expecting you to be competent at caring for sick folks. That's pretty scary.
It makes me glad that, in all truth, we're *not* expected to be fully competent straight out of medical school. No one expects an intern to deliver a baby solo, or manage a heart attack on the first day after you get your MD. That's the way it used to be (this is quite a while ago, admittedly). This is reassuring - all the same, I'm glad I have another year before people start asking me "what would you like to do, Dr. Moynihan?"
And of course, many many congratulations to the WashU Med Class of 2009. You guys worked really hard for this, and we might even trust you with patients in a few years. :)
It's a big deal, when you think about it. Well, most graduations are (past, say, elementary school) - you move, you change your field, you get a real job, etc. Yet, the day after graduation you rarely feel particularly different. The trick here is that once you get that M.D., you can start prescribing medication and writing orders - that's a real, concrete change. Oh, and people also start expecting you to be competent at caring for sick folks. That's pretty scary.
It makes me glad that, in all truth, we're *not* expected to be fully competent straight out of medical school. No one expects an intern to deliver a baby solo, or manage a heart attack on the first day after you get your MD. That's the way it used to be (this is quite a while ago, admittedly). This is reassuring - all the same, I'm glad I have another year before people start asking me "what would you like to do, Dr. Moynihan?"
And of course, many many congratulations to the WashU Med Class of 2009. You guys worked really hard for this, and we might even trust you with patients in a few years. :)