Meeting Patch Adams M.D.

Although I am in the middle of cramming renal and GI physiology, I decided to take a few hours off tonight to go see Dr. Patch Adams. He happens to be an MCV/VCU alumnus if you didn't know that already. You may have seen the movie and noted what a beautiful campus he attended. Unfortunately that was not MCV, that was UVA. Apparently the MCV campus was too urban and slovenly to be featured in the movie (but hey it's home, right?). Admittedly, UVA does have a gorgeous campus, however I would argue that we practice medicine waaaayyyyy better.

Anyway, it was definitley worth my time. It was without a doubt one of the most provocative, creative, and inspiring talks I have ever heard. I decided to purchase both of his books ( yikes! when will I have time to read them?) and yes, that is me and Dr. Patch Adams pretending to pick our noses. Maybe laughter is the best medicine. I was laughing so hard taking this picture that I forgot all about the upcoming exams.

Now for a little Q&A. Maybe I can actually stay on top of it this time.

1) You bet your ass I was Phi Beta Kappa

2) Don't take too seriously what I said about the competitiveness of med students. Yes, everyone wants to do well, some more so than others. However, at least in my school, this is not a curved system. By acing an exam, I am not preventing anyone else from also acing an exam. It's not like the first day of Ochem when they tell you that only ten percent of the class can get A's. Here, if everyone aces the exam then everyone gets honors. That being said, there is still an element of competition in that, inevitably, there will be a rank order. Depending on specialty preference and other various reasons, class rank may be very important to some people. But it is not to the extent that they would actively try to push others down (UCSD pre-med courses, anyone?). Everyone is very friendly, very helpful, and very cooperative. Many people choose to study in groups, and additionally, parts of the curriculum are done in small groups. For my team based learning sessions in biochemistry, we got a group and an indiviual quiz grade. This is also done in my Foundations of Clinical Medicine group. I have not encountered one soul who was unwilling to help me with anything I needed. From what I can tell, my class is like a mini-community and is very close-knit, protective, and supportive of its members. I have no doubt that lifelong friendships are being formed. As far as professors go, most are willing to bend over backwards to help you achieve your goals and support you in anything you want to do. As one attending put it to me, "You're in the club now", and that is so true. When I failed an exam, I was called in the very next day by the course director, who wanted to express her concern and see if there was any way she could be of assistance to me. Bottom line: Med schools don't choose people that they think can't make it. If they have chosen you, it means that they believe in you, and that they will do everything in their power to facilitate your journey.

3) I feel overwhelmed every day of my life and that is no joke. There is never enough time to get it all done, let alone do other things that I want to do. How do I deal with it? I try to go to bed every night knowing that I made the most out of my day. That's all I can do. I have bad days, good days, and average days, but every once in a while I get one of those supremely satisfying, inspiring, and rewarding days. Those are the ones that I live for. Although the workload oftem seems to require superhuman powers, just remember that you are human. Do the best you can do, and chances are, that will see you through.