Pet peeve

Waking up at 4 am to catch the bus to work and realizing that I don't have any clean scrubs....

Sticky fingers

And another thing. Public computer keyboards -- say, that you use in the library when you're on call and don't have any other options -- with sticky keys? Ewwww! Seriously, I see (and touch!) a lot of gross things in the hospital, but these snot-covered keyboards are the worst. Still handling that mouse without a second thought? Check this out (if you can manage to click the link using your elbow).

Okay, that's probably enough. I need to go wash my hands now. With soap. Obsessively.

Physician, heal thyself

Considering the endless hours I've spent breathing recirculated airplane air recently, I guess it should come as no surprise that I'm now fighting off a spell of viral upper respiratory misery. It does, however, make me aware of an unfortunate side effect of medical school, which has been to take away all of my usual strategies for cold self-medication. Sadly, I'm now all too familiar with the clinical trials that have largely failed to find any evidence that my cold remedies have any actual beneficial effect. And worse, because I'm aware of this they won't even work as placebos anymore! Hardly seems fair, somehow.

Department of Pet Peeves

Fourth-year med students are frequently asked by interns, residents, and staff physicians, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" This is a way of asking "what medical specialty are you planning to enter?" Now, I would probably find this formulation slightly irritating in any case, but when it's posed by a 27-year-old intern to someone who, like myself, is of a certain age--well, let's just say it's a bit jarring.

As I've been preparing my applications to residency programs over the past month I've had plenty of time to ponder my CV, reminding me that while living in Boston in the 80s I was a teaching assistant for a music theory class at Harvard. And I must admit that it has crossed my mind to reply to that twentysomething intern, "kid, I was teaching at Harvard when you were in grade school." Wouldn't do much for my grade, but it would probably be satisfying enough to make it worth it.