This is the second in a three part series outlining one young M.D.'s experiences as an intern headed toward a residency in ophthalmology:
Anonymous, M.D.
Medical school is much like a boxing match, you work hard in undergrad just to make it to medical school, all that training is just preparation for what comes next…the main event fight. Most start medical school bright eyed and bushy tailed, just like fighters fresh out of their corners, they are excited, energetic, and eager to get started. The only problem being that while a boxing match is over in 12 rounds or less, medical students slog away, getting up after repeated fall, tolerating all sorts of belittling remarks, and ignoring the permanent baggy eyes and exacerbated hair loss for 4 YEARS or more. At the end of these 4 years what do we receive? Well, in a nutshell, an envelope. It contains a lone sheet of paper that dictates what we do with the next 3 – 8 years of our life. So at the end of a fight, there is at least a 50% chance of winning, and a 100% chance of a payday…but in medical school there is no belt to be won, just an envelope to open.
Being one of the more competitive fields in medicine, ophthalmology is an early match, occurring some 6 months before the conclusion of medical.1 On the famed match day in January, I waltzed into the Dean’s office and received my envelope with my sheet of paper neatly folded inside. I suppress the jitters and the hesitation to open it, after all being an early match, there is no huge celebration or ceremony, just a normal day with me holding an envelope, inside of which contains the name where my indentured servitude will be served for the next 3 years. I pull out the sheet and the office personnel and staff are all anxious to see what happens next, and to their joy I smile, not only do I get to stay in CA, I return within a short drive to home. The day then resumes, but I have a bounce in my step and a joyful glee in my voice. I WILL be an eye doctor one day, unless I’m in the 1.1% who drop out of any ophthalmology residency.2 Better yet, I have suffered no cuts, scrapes, bruises, or concussions, yet I feel as though I’m more successful than the world heavyweight champion. Strange how knowing you’ll be making $8/hour can bring such a smile to one’s face.
References:
1. Andriole DA, Schechtman KB, Ryan K, Whelan A, Diemer K. How competitive is my surgical specialty? Am J Surg. 2002 Jul;184(1):1-5.
2. Hatton MP, Loewenstein J. Attrition from ophthalmology residency programs. Am J Ophthalmol. 2004 Nov;138(5):863-4.
Back to part 1: Internship Begins
See part 3: Starting Ophthalmology Residency
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