medical school

I had dinner last night with some friends from med school. We had good conversation, but I was struck with how diverse our experiences have been, even in the same city, at the same training institution, within just months of each other. One obvious difference is the type of patients and their particular illnesses, but a large factor in the diversity of experience seemed to be the residents. For those not familar with the hierarchy, a medical student (someone pursuing an M.D.) reports to a resident (an M.D. training in a particular field) who reports to an attending (the boss, usually faculty at the university). First year residents are called interns, while a third or fourth year resident (depending on the program) is elected by his peers as the chief resident.
Anyway, residents make or break clinical rotations for students. They are the middle-men (and women) of sorts...trying to please the attending, care for patients and do something with the students. They have to be good communicators, teachers, clinicians, employees, and friends. It's a delicate balance to walk - those who do well are praised, those who lack are scorned. Respect for the residents is earned, not bought or forced. Residents who let students really slack, while appreciated, are not generally respected as much; but "gunner" residents, those really hard-core, can also lose respect by being harsh, demanding or inflexible.

It made me remember that I am going to be who I am now becoming. Such a simple thought from the field of medicine, but a reminder that true greatness in any endeavor is not born overnight. It is a process of refining. I'll be a resident in a year and a half...what kind of man will I be?