Finito

So I survived Step 1 (well, I've made it like 12 hours since it ended, so my chances are looking good).

It proved what I already suspected: the extent of my medical knowledge is only eclipsed by...the extent of things I don't know about medicine.

That's my way of saying I don't know jack shit.

Anyway, it's over and I probably did OK. I mean, I feel like I failed massively, but I think that's normal. I felt that way during all my practice questions sets and I was really doing OK. I find out in about a month, and I think until then I will just repress all thoughts of the exam (oh, excuse me Step 1, I mean suppress).

Now on to clerkships. I start with Pediatrics, which is a terrifying thing because:
1) Kids are petri dishes- my stomach just cramped thinking about the fun viruses I am likely to pick up
2) I'm afraid I will accidentally break the little ones, somehow
3) Screaming baby otoscopic exams

Should be an experience. In the meantime I'm taking a vacation to Asia! Yeah, bitches. And I'm not going to think about medicine at all!

They Made Me Come Back

At the fine Medical School I attend, students are given a roughly three month break after completing MS1, likely in order to lull us into feeling "happy", "fullfilled", and "rested" before springing MS2 and boards upon us. Many students do things that are useful to their future residency applications, like research, anatomy TAing, working in doctor's offices, etc, etc. I, on the other hand, called them a bunch of gunners and went backpacking in Europe for 37 days. Because if I can hemorrhage over 200 grand on a medical education, I can damn well spend 3 grand on a month of hopping trains, ooohing over buildings and paintings, and day drinking like it's my job. It was an amazing experience and I know I made the right choice (my liver may disagree).

After a few weeks back, in which time I recovered from my 3rd HAC (hostel-associated cold) and worried my family with my strangely nocturnal ways, I left for another trip. This one, however, was a medical trip located further south...as in, South America. I spent two weeks mastering the ability to perform Pap smears, feel breast lumps, and tell people to take off their underwear in Spanish. I am now really, really good at all of these things. I'm pretty sure my sterile technique suffered, though. The clinic was nice, but still definitely not up to American standards.

Now I'm back and already studying for test 1 AKA trial by pyrogens (because we're studying immune response...get it, get it? Still not funny?). So I'll try to keep this thing interesting..