Some Advice

And so the new medical academic year begins. I see it on the face of the enthusiastic, starry-eyed medstudent who shadowed me today. I hear it in the anxious excitement in my sister's voice as she begins life as an intern. Ah, what words of wisdom can I impart?

• The words 'holiday' and 'weekend' no longer exist in your sleep
• You learn to function on 5 hours of sleep every night
• Your new year now begins in June
• Sleep when you can. Eat when you can. There will be no such thing as 'lunchbreak' anymore
• Learn to keep a straight face when you answer the question "Who would like to see this patient" with "Why, yes, I'd love to!"
• A quote from the fabled 'The House of God' By Samuel Shem: At a cardiac arrest, the first procedure to do is to check your own pulse.
• Learn to kiss ass. Really
• There is no such thing as too much coffee
• Never say no to free food
• Treat the nurses nice; they can make your callnight easy, or a living hell. Speaking from experience: a bag of chocolates as a peace offering does wonders