Prologue to Year II. Or: At least I don't Smell Like Formaldehyde

School has started. With summer vacation over, I've quickly adjusted to student mode, ready for the high-stress year ahead.

During the first week of school, I have already learned how to draw blood. It's not a hard skill to acquire, the hardest part was pushing the needle into another person's vein. Such a little needle, such a little vein, it felt like such a big deal. I can still count on one hand the number of hard skills I've acquired in medical school. At this point, I've earned more gray hairs than skills, if we're keeping score.

Second year of medical school is reputed to be the toughest academically. Much more information in much less time. On a positive note, this year will prepare us for the elusive thinking like a doctor--which is hopefully more rewarding than thinking like a confused, stressed out and overwhelmed medical student.

Over the summer I had a chance to speak with Amy, a good friend from undergrad, who is a resident in Opthalmology at the Mayo Clinic. She advised me to "trust the system" to prepare me for becoming a doctor. It's the first time that I've ever been encouraged to trust the system. Maybe it's something I'll have to do in order for patients to trust me. Maybe this academic gauntlet is actually useful in the world of professional medicine. Maybe I have to stop being a rebel for once and toe a line in order to learn the responsibility of other people's lives.

It will keep getting better, that's what I'm told. And to think one year ago I was heading down to the cadaver labs of Gross Anatomy. Just after one week of school, it is already a huge improvement to come home at the end of the day without having to wash the smell of embalming fluid from my skin. There's nothing like medical school to wipe clean your previous sense of standards.