Ghostwriter

Trying something new on the blog tonight. I (Drew) will be ghost-writing for Marissa because I felt like posting tonight. Who knows, maybe it will happen more often. My OR experience today inspired me to write. Today the attending on gyne asked if I wanted to open (make the incision, go through a couple superficial layers of tissue). I actually managed to form words and tell him I would love to. Even the smallest things in an operation require skill that you just don't think about. Everything you do, every little movement potentially impacts the procedure and/or the patient's recovery. Today I feel I started to think more like a surgeon. I tried to stay more involved in the case, thinking about every move. Its completely different from being a student just trying to stay out of the way/stay awake. I already knew I wanted to be a surgeon, today was just a little taste of the future. It was fantastic, I have to do surgery, its an amazing feeling. In other med student news, Match Day is one year from today. The seniors match tomorrow. I'm nervous for them, and nervous for myself. I'm not a nervous person but I'm already a little high-strung over this. This will be a life altering year, everything I do for the next 12 months could impact where we end up. I'm trying to focus on just being the best medical student and future doctor that I can be and remember that if I take care of business and work hard the rest of it should fall into place. And of course, in my typical fashion, I'm doing things the hard way. There are certainly less competitive specialties than neurosurgery, not that I'm saying its easy to get into anything, but I went and picked one that people work as hard as they possibly can for 4 years or more and sometimes its still not enough. On more of a fun note, we get to see the family this weekend for Gaston's first birthday! Some time away from Springfield and thinking about school will be a welcome break.