The life of a medical student

I have been in PA school for two years this week. As I teeter in and out of a state of burn out I am frequently reminded why I love medicine and why I am ready to be a graduate and no longer a student. 

Things I LOVE about being a medical student: 

1. I am always learning something new, this also means I am always unable to answer questions my preceptors have for me. Surgery makes this much more apparent. Basically all day everyday I am grilled about anatomy, physiology, disease processes, etc. My most common answer is "I don't know, but I will look it up." It seems that the more I learn the less I know and the less confident I am about what I know. However, I am learning that often times I do know the answer and I simply have to give myself the space to come up with it and trust myself and my knowledge. 
2. Interacting with patients. As Dr. Lanflisi (my current preceptor) said, the medicine stays the same, your white coat doesn't get any whiter, what makes this profession rewarding are the relationships you have with your patients. I couldn't agree more!
3. My classmates, who have become my family.

Things I miss from my life pre-graduate school: 

1. My family, friends, and Michael. 
2. Having time to commit to self care on a regular, almost daily basis (running, swimming, biking, yoga, massage, etc...).
3. Jezebel.
4. Cooking. Michael and I had this weekly tradition for a while, we would find something in the produce section we had never bought before and figure out how to use it in a recipe. It was exciting and fed my desire to create new dishes. I love being in the kitchen, learning to use new spices and ingredients. Although I still cook regularly, I pretty much stick to the things I know.

These are some of my favorite pictures from PA school and prior in no particular order: