Day 3 of third year:

New attending, longer day, very nice!

Saw less patients today but did more stuff. I'm getting less shaky when I do the physical exam, but I still have no clue what I'm looking at in the fundoscopic exam. Slowly, third year is growing on me.

Today we diagnosed a woman with depression and I watched as my attending convinced her to take medication. She was not pushy, but she was persistent and took the extra time to explain depression to the patient and the implications of taking medication. It was very inspiring to see the respect and admiration that the patients have for this particular physician. She is a mother of three, which gives me hope that I can be a good doctor, have a life, have a family, and still look like a woman after all that (she looks great!)

So today was a good day, and not once did I bemoan the idea of med school or dread the upcoming fiery hoops that I must jump through. I believe this is acceptance, and possibly even embracement (SO not a word) of the path ahead of me.

But, I've gotta wonder... is it too early to begin counting down till fourth year???