Shift Two Redemptions

I had a crappy day today. First there was Discouraging Lecture that was displaced to a different conference room that took me an extra 20 minutes to find. So that was extra work for Discouraging Lecture. Then I went over to Adolescent clinic, which I was 30 minutes late to because Discouraging Lecture went overtime. Then I was kicked out of an exam room by an angry mother who didn't even have the decency to tell me to my face I want you out, but without looking at me asked the resident, can she leeeave?? (No! I hadn't done anything, I had simply introduced myself, hi I'm Tamar, I'm a medical student... It wasn't like I was sticking anything up her daughter's nose, yet.) Then I was late to the ER because Adolescent clinic ran over because of Abnoxious Mother and her daughter. Then the ER was... Quiet (the five letter word you are definitively NOT allowed to use) and I had nothing to do. Then I left early to go to a peds meeting, which I probably should have skipped, because I think I managed to depress myself and piss off the ER docs who now think I'm a slacker. I came to the realization in said meeting that there are two kinds of medical students: Schmoozers and Nonschmoozers. I am the worst kind, I am naturally a Nonschmoozer but wish I was a Schmoozer and sometimes make valiant yet terribly embarassing unsuccessful attempts at disguising myself as one. Finally my second ER shift started to redeem this day of crap. (and i forgot to mention, i think i have strep throat)

I examined this kid around 9pm for a relatively benign complaint. An 11 year old. Really sweet kid. He was there with his mom and his little brother. Since it was absurdly evident to me that he was a benign exam, I spent some time playing around with him and his brother and the different toys we have at our disposal: stethascope, otoscope, opthalmascope. While I was doing the ear exam, typically the least well tolerated part by the youngest kids, second only to the dreaded tongue-depressor gag... he says to me you're a fun medical student. I laughed, it was a funny compliment. When I came back later with the discharge papers, I talked to them about setting up an appointment at the clinic so he could have a primary doctor, which neither he nor his brother had. His mother, who was following along with my mottled Spanish and her son's translation must have misunderstood something at some point about me being a student because she sounded like she was expecting to be able to make an appointment to see me. (Forgive me for my sins, PDC, next time I will use a real translator.) I explained again that I was a student. And then my 11 year old patient sits up from his cot and says very solemnly, you're going to make a great doctor. I came so freaking close to crying you have no idea.

Then I met the last of the five male peds residents. The only one who isn't married. And of course I fell madly in love with him after 30 seconds of talking to him.