Clerkship! Boy two years goes quickly when you are always busy! Speaking of busy, before I mention anything I have to express my love and thankfulness for my Wife, Wendy's incredible support in this adventure! Working a full-time job and being a full-time parent with three kids while Dad is off in another city is really being supermom! It would not be possible if not for her support!

So clerkship looms as all of our medicine classes are complete. One more year till M.D., and many students have expressed their concern over starting clerkship. I think I have to take this next year as an opportunity to explore and take risks (not with patients lives of course) all the while under the safety-blanket that is our preceptor on the ward.

It is going to be difficult, stressful, challenging, and rewarding; everything signed up for so here goes...

First Year Almost Complete...

It has been quite a year! Mountains of work, non-stop studying, plenty of exams, ... I am certain you are getting the idea - Med School is not easy.

Well, I am really too busy to write much of anything, but I do have to mention that I have many new friends, and also have had some great preceptors along the way.

Now the next big battle: residency plans. At this point it is a tight battle between General Surgery and Family Med (with Geriatrics in a distant third place).

On Occasion Our Trusty Truck Acts Funny. Very Good Vehicle Any How...

Some Say Money Matters, But My Brother Says Big Boobs Matter More

Acupuncture!
Culture, Health, and Wellness class had us visiting an alternative medicine clinic. Dr. Zhao was great, and very professional - Ken and I learned all about acupuncture and even managed to get stuck by a needle - amazingly enough I never felt a thing!

One third done - and loving every minute of it!

So it may be the most work I have ever done, involve ridiculous hours, and put undue stress on my Family, but it has all been worth it. Med School is everything I hoped for and more. Sure there are many depressing things going on, but directly helping people get well is awesome!

So for a brief summary of the last 4 months: Exams and lots of them, suturing, thoracentesis, and tonight, gastroschisis on a newborn - perhaps I should be a surgeon, since I sure am loving being in the O.R.

Well, back to the books...

Bloody Guts

Well, all done our hematology and GI. Well, that is if we passed our exams! So the DREAM has turned out to be a wonderful experience - but lots of work!

One of our professors made a great point during a lecture, something along the lines of working very hard to get here, and then complaining once you are here rather than running the race well...

Interesting point. Med School is everything I had hoped it would be and more!

Do You remember?

In light of the fact that Remembrance Day is almost here, and that we have had, and currently have, soldiers willing to fight for our freedom, I thought it would be appropriate to post this link:

A Pittance of Time

Terry Kelly does an incredible job reinforcing the fact that we are currently enjoying freedoms that were payed for with human lives. Even now, with the current global conflict against terrorism, we are seeing Canadians sacrifice their lives for us all.

Lest we forget...