The year that was

Unlike most people, the 1st of January, for me, was just an ordinary day. I didn't even get paid extra for working on that day. See, as an intern, my year ended on the 1oth of January.

And what a year it was.

Everyone told us that it would be a baptism of fire. But nothing really prepared us for the intern year. Fears were alternately realised or dismissed as paranoia. And my personal learning curve grew exponentially. But I'm not going to talk about medical information I learned, that would take a whole blog in itself. Instead, this entry is more a reflection on the top 10 non-medical lessons I learned about the world and myself.

1. People will smell fear, so either get over it, or learn to manage it.
2. I need to work on my tolerance levels -- after all, to someone else, I might be as incompetent as the people who piss me off.
3. Chocolate goes a long way in cheering people up. Playing with babies always cheers me up.
4. Never be afraid to ask for help. No one will think any less of you for acknowledging your limitations. (And anyone who does isn't worth worrying about.) And don't be afraid to say "I don't know" -- you look like less of an idiot than if you lie and get found out.
5. Taking the stairs, if your health permits it, is the smarter option: it's just as fast as the lift and you're not likely to get stuck in the stairwell. Just make sure it isn't the fire escape and you inadvertently set off the fire alarm.
6. People DO go crazy when it's a full moon out.
7. I am obsessive compulsive. Which I knew before this year. What I know now is that I have "a healthy level of obsessive-compulsiveness, which is necessary to be a good doctor". (Thanks Dr. Norton)
8. Not everyone notices patterns in dates. In fact, I have yet to find someone else who automatically thinks "5 plus 1 is 6" on the 5th of January. Or who has the giggles when the date is 3/4/5.
9. I need my sleep. And my coffee. And sugar if I am to function in the morning.

and...
10. I would have never survived this year if it wasn't for the fantastic group of people I worked with. To my fellow interns... WE SURVIVED!!!