It was only a matter of time....

I think I just became a coffee-drinker.

For the first 23 years of my life, I never drank coffee, minus the occasional sip at a wedding or other occasion (followed by dislike of the taste and continued non-consumption). But this year, as med school continues unrelentingly, I began to think it was time I learned to like coffee. So far, I've been able to maintain my 8 hours of sleep nearly every night, but there are still days that I feel sleepy and in need of caffiene. Plus, I know my future holds many a night of on-call or other long shifts, so I doubted I'd be able to handle that lifestyle with caffiene from tea or Coke alone, as I had done so far.

So a couple of months ago, I bought a cup of coffee at the coffee cart at school, on a day when I was literally falling asleep in lecture. And I choked down about one-third of it (black, because I don't want the hassle or calories of cream and sugar). ANd, again, about a month or so after that, I bought another cup on an afternoon when I was tired and having trouble focusing. Both times, the coffee had the desired effect, and kept me up, but I really didn't like it.

But today...I got another cup, and I actually enjoyed the taste. I mean, it's not my favorite thing in the world (that would be chocolate), but I've finished almost the whole cup, and I really don't mind it at all.

Check. One more milestone on the road to becoming a doctor achieved.

Which one am I?

I think this is fitting, since for some reason I've been thinking more lately about what specialty I want to pursue once medical school is finally over (if that ever happens...) Which category am I in?



From Movin' Meat

What have I gotten myself into?

I die a little bit inside every time I see doctor bloggers complain that the 80 hour per week limit for residents is not enough time for them to learn everything.

Is is just me, or does 80 hours a week seem like too many hours already? I mean, I can see that 40 hours is really not a lot, so I'm okay with more than that. Plus, I understand that in residency, they push to get more experience in in a shorter time. And I know there is a LOT to learn, so it takes time to learn it all.

But hearing about what's coming at a time when I feel like I am already spending every waking minute studying or thinking about how I should be studying, makes me feel like the next 6 years of my life are going to be more of the same.

I guess it's good that I'm teaching myself to like coffee now, because it looks like I'm going to need it...