The Final Countdown

The minutes are ticking away... the 11th hour approaches, a time for fear (shelf test!) and celebration (vacation!!).

Today I had my oral/written exam portion of the peds rotation, and tomorrow morning is the shelf test. Therefore, this entry will be short so I can get back to alternately freaking out and succumbing to complete apathy.

First, my take. Peds: I liked it. I actually liked it a whole lot. I can't see myself as a general outpatient pediatrician, but that doesn't surprise me, because I think that general outpatient anything would bore me beyond tears and into the realm of automatic weaponry. However, I could see loving inpatient peds or specialty peds (depending on the specialty). I'm not sure that I'll end up doing it, but it gets a big thumbs up in by book. The oral and written exam were not too bad, although I am somewhat (between a little and gosh-darn) irked that I missed a question about immunizations and I'm still not sure why; they even provided the immunization chart, I'm sure with the thought "Now even severely handicapped students can get this question right!". So really it's a mix of feeling like an idiot and feeling like a major idiot since I still don't understand why I got it wrong. But whatever.

As for the shelf, I am in the same place I always seem to be the night before these things. I want to care; I try to care; there are fleeting moments where I actually do mange to care; but mostly, no. I am tired, and tired, and oh yeah, tired, and I don't want to study this stuff any more. I want to take the test now and be done. (Or--better idea--not take the test at all.)

Sadly, as is so often the case with the MD/PhD program, there is no rest for the weary. I must trudge ahead and try to study... at least pretend to study... maybe pretend to try to study. I'm still trying to work that out. Okay... here I go... books out... where's my pen... okay...

Oh, hey! A Christmas Story is on!!



Happy Holidays everyone, and try to enjoy your vacation as much as I plan to, which is a lot.