Another week is set to begin, another test to study for, I mean.
Lectures stacked back-to-back every day.
I say hip-hip, I think, hooray.
Anki decks galore, please, can’t handle it no more.
Mondays are kept light, lecture, lecture, cased-based instructions, good night.
Tuesdays are swell, presentations, then lunch to dwell.
Wednesdays are all about finesse, so we gear up to impress.
You see, doctoring isn’t easy, but it needn’t be hard,
Doctoring is confidence, so you must play the right card.
Into Thursday I crawl, sometimes stumble, and fall.
But tomorrow is test day, if I remembered at all.
Cortisol starts flowing, causing the stress to start growing.
Mom is calling, she says, “I know you’ll do great!”
Dad grabs the phone, he says, “You better know it by eight!”
Thanks Mom, thanks Dad, I know what you mean.
The sight of me succeeding is all that you dream.
I hang up the phone. I know what has to be done.
I fasten my seatbelt. Repetition has begun.
No time for sleep or the desire to eat.
So I must just study and repeat.
I begin the walk to school, computer in hand all-cool.
I settle in my chair, fix my laptop, fix my hair.
I say a quick prayer. I tell myself to rally.
Come on! You’ve done it before; you’ll do it again; then you’ll eat a tamale.
Finally, I finish, and now it’s time to submit.
I studied hard, I came prepared, I know I’ll never quit.
I passed! Why did I have a doubt?
I need to learn to gauge myself so I can have a stout.
I celebrate for a second, replenish my lungs with air.
Then I head home, to sleep the sleep of a bear.
Soon I wake up. I know I learned a lot this week.
For example, when the lens is flat, refractive power is weak.
Now it’s time to work on next week’s material.
No time to fall behind, I’ve got to get through it all.
Another week is set to begin, another test to study for, I mean.
Congratulations to the class of 2019 for finishing the first semester!
Dor Shoshan is an MS1 at The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. He graduated from Chapman University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences. He is passionate about the intersection of science and technology with medicine—in particular, the way technology will shape the future of medicine and its perils. For recommendations about future articles, comments or questions, please do not hesitate to contact at shoshan[at]email.arizona.edu