The First Day of a Long Year

I just wanted to commemorate my FIRST day in the wards with a special post. Today marks the first time that I have:

1) written an order
2) written an H&P that will actually go into a patient's file
3) been paged regarding an order


The transition from the classroom to the clinic is jarring no matter how wonderfully UCSF tries to soften the blow through FPC and Transitional Clerkship (which was excellent). I remember that right after a brief morning session, I began to follow Blue Team around on Rounds and they began discussing this baby with hyperbilirubinemia and debating things like hereditary spherocytosis, osmotic fragility test, Coombs test, etc. Suddenly, I had a moment of clarity lined slightly by surprise, delight, and terror. My first thought was, "Oh shit, this stuff actually matters." Two years of medical school have already passed, may they stand me in good stead.