There's a Fire Starting in My Heart

Over the summer, I had my first encounter with future colleagues of mine, these, of the MD variety. The student housing I reside in is also used for guest lecturers and temporary guests. Several M.D. students attending a two week course on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) were housed here over the summer. This is an opportunity for traditional medical students to be exposed to a holistic approach to healthcare.

They seemed excited about "alternative" therapies and learning about the medicine. Their instructor specialized in herbology and exposed them to several of the modalities offered through naturopathic medicine that are not part of the M.D. curriculum.

One evening we were gathered around the kitchen sharing experiences. The D.O. student did a few osteopathic manipulations, an M.D. student spoke of his father, a cardiac-surgeon, who used lifestyle counseling, and I explained how the naturopathic school was organized. At this point of the conversation it was hard not to notice the smirks they were not so successfully suppressing. Inside I immediately became defensive and angry at their demeaning display. I shrugged it off as ignorance and felt even more determined to get the most of school so I could "prove" to them at some point in time that they were ignorant and wrongfully judgmental.

While I want to say that the resentment that I feel for them will help me study harder, I know that I need to let this go, be myself and not let the opinions of others affect my decision to be what I will ultimately become. Yes, this is the classic rise above! But in reality, it's more than that; it's not about N.Ds versus M.Ds. As both our professions advance I hope we will learn that this is not an us versus them situation. Really the only thing of concern is what is the best care for the patients and how can each healthcare practitioner tailor their gifts to meet these needs.

So, while the there is certainly a fire in my heart, it is not burning with a conviction to outdo my M.D., D.O., N.P, P.A., etc. colleagues, it's burning with curiosity for healing and understanding.

Umm need to concentrate

My tailbone has fallen asleep (will edit once medical jargon has been covered)- that's what happens when you sit in a chair for hours on end. I vaguely remember this feeling from my undergraduate years, but somehow put it out of my memory until now.

What I did not forget about, and have actually been dreading, is my keen ability to nod off during lecture. That's right, only one hour and fifteen minutes into my very first class at medical school and my eyelids become too heavy to keep open. Shit... this is going to be a long four years. One of the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine professors suggested that I rub the crown of my head (self-inflicted noogie) to combat classroom fatigue. I tried this technique; it worked for about five minutes. After a brief break I nibbled a piece of dark chocolate and made it through the rest of lecture. During the pre-lab discussion I stretched at the back of the classroom while silently thanking myself for not attending allopathic medical school where this sort of behavior might be construed as odd.

New strategies for staying awake (no I don't drink coffee daily): sip water, ask lots of questions to stay engaged, head noogie, stand and stretch, and take copious amounts of notes.

Ok, time to walk off the tingling in my legs.

Hot damn, it's go time

Yeah, my guess is that I will be using lots of antiquated exclamations to emphasize my excitement, so brace yourself.

Tomorrow I enter the world of naturopathic medicine!! I just spent the last week driving out to Seattle from Billings, MT through some of the most beautiful country imaginable. For the love of what makes this life worth getting up for, I highly recommend taking a road trip or bus trip when transitioning in any part of your life.

More to come...