Becoming Medically Educated

I remember a drive that Jonny and I took when we were in High School. It was before the first kiss and even before the first hand hold. He was giving me a ride home from "Disney a la Carte" practice and we weren't in any hurry to get home. We meandered through the Benjamin back roads, talking about anything that would fill the fidgety space between us. The topic of conversation bounced from friends to family to the future. I told him that I wanted to be a teacher, but mostly a mother. He told me that he wanted to be a doctor. When I asked him why he said he wanted to help people, especially those in less fortunate circumstances who don't have access to appropriate medical treatment.

I remember that conversation because I think that's when I started falling in love with Jonathan (although I never would have admitted it). He walked me to my front door, gave me a hug and I went inside with my teeth chattering. I was a little cold, but mostly nervous and thrilled to have been alone with such an amazing and conveniently good looking person.

Jonny and I have repeated that conversation many times in the past eight years, and this week, it happened. We started medical school. Well, if you want to be technical, Jonny started medical school, but it is a team effort. I even volunteered to write his "busy work" essays for him (he turned my offer down). The weight of his embriology, histology and anatomy classes is slowly bearing down on him, but he is excited to be in the grind nonetheless. He is going to do great. My favorite Jonny quote of the week is, "I'm excited to become medically educated."

In the next four years I'm excited for my education to expand as well. I will be learning a lot more about medicine as well as mothering, budgeting, bedtime-ing, friendshipping, writing, wifeing, sewing, speaking, planning, playing, communicating and hopefully cooking. Somehow today I managed to make yogurt pancakes taste like soap (I'm blaming it on the dishwasher). This is a time in my life I have always looked forward to. I still want to teach college writing and US Government in High School, or practice municiple law, or coordinate international projects for LDS Humanitarian Services, or draw people's dream homes, but right now I am doing what I have always wanted to do most and nothing else would make me feel more complete.

Let me leave you with a few images and quotes from Jonny's white coat ceremony. I didn't even know there was such a thing until a couple weeks ago. It's when the first year med students are officially "coated," "stethascoped," and inducted into medical school. Some of it was a bit "hoity toity" as Jonny would say, but I mostly enjoyed the tradition. The keynote speaker's address was my favorite. His address focused on a C.S. Lewis quote concerning "wooden priests officiating at golden altars." He stressed that medical students must learn to be caregivers first, instead of deliverers of medical technology.

Here are a few great quotes and pictures of various parts of the ceremony for your enjoyment:

"Modern medicine has evolved into a high tech, low touch profession."
"Anesthesiology is a very strange career where some people get up early in the morning to put other people to sleep."

"There is no greater call in life than to do for others what they cannot do for themselves."

"The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated."

"Never let anyone tell you that medicine has not made great strides...medical progress has been relentless in the past 50 years, but with all we have gained have we missed something as well? Doctors are trained to treat and diagnose, while patients are wanting to be listened to, sympathised with and cared for. We have become diminished as caregivers--lost our soul, we become wooden, a reverse Pinnochio effect. "