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My last day in the classroom

Today was a very special occasion. I am officially done with classroom-based schoolwork. I will occasionally have a lecture to go to, but my day-to-day routine will not be lecture/classroom based. From here on out, I will be working directly with the patients, and I can't wait.

It was also the last day that Docapella, as it is this year, would likely ever perform together. As is customary we sang on the last day of lecture for both the M1's and M2's, first in the morning (for the M1's) and then the afternoon (for the M2's). Singing Billy Joel's "Longest Time", I felt we sounded the best we have ever sounded, which made the occasion even more memorable. Our voices harmonized, our fingers snapped in rhythm, and we had our audience completely captivated. Even this evening studying at Lakota, a classmate said that our performances will be the most missed thing about the first two years lectures. That's a huge reward to hear.

After my exams next Wednesday - Friday, I will kick studying into an even higher gear as I make a final 3-week push to prepare for the boards on June 2nd. This is the first and often mentioned most important of the boards, as it is the test score residency programs look at the most, and can influence how much of a chance you have to get into a competitive field. A week after that I will start my psychiatry rotation.

I am really excited about doing the psychiatry rotation, even though right now I am not considering it as a specialty. I think that I am somewhat nervous about talking to people with mental disorders, but at the same time am in no way intimidated. I have always felt a great fulfillment in listening and talking to and caring for someone through the giving of my time and my heart, and I think that psychiatry is the best example of a medical field where that can be most explemplified.

I don't think I can in any way promise to have as great an influence on a mental patient's outcome in 6 weeks as a physician can over the course of an ongoing relationship, but I care for the patient as one person to another. I sincerely hope that after six weeks the patients I have been able to see will say that they felt sincerely cared for and listened to, and if I can help better their life by that alone, I think I'll feel I was effective.

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