Survivor: Final Exam Edition

Tomorrow is the last day of the emergency medicine elective that has occupied me for the last four weeks. It's been a wonderfully educational and colorful month and has certainly piqued my interest in the field. Usually clinical experiences like this end with a final exam, often a quite difficult one. However, there's no final exam this time!

So does that mean that we're off the hook? No, medical students are NEVER off the hook. Allow me to quote, verbatim, the e-mail from the course director regarding our activity for the last day of class:

Just a brief note about Fri. We’re planning on starting at 11 am at the beach lodge at ________ State Park. I thought about requiring you to bring the classic “10 Essentials for Surviving in the Wilderness” http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/getaways/216076_essentials17.html , but thought that was too hokey. Required equipment for each participant will be 1) Drinking water, 2) Bandana, 3) 4 Safety pins, 4) Sunscreen 5) 25 yards of duct tape, 6) Clothes that can get really wet and dirty (a change of clothes isn’t a bad idea either). Each team should have a compass and a multipurpose tool- let me know if you need to borrow one. You’ll get a course map and race rules once you are there. Disciplines may include running, biking, swimming, canoeing, improvising, and sweating. I’ll have some food and beverages for dinner, but you may want to bring something for snacks and/or eat ahead of time.

See you at 7 am tomorrow.

Of course, I'll take this over an exam any day of the week.