First the big news: after 16 weeks of inpatient psychiatry at the VA, 4 weeks of child and adolescent psychiatry, 4 weeks of emergency medicine, 12 weeks of internal medicine, 4 weeks of a substance abuse rotation, 4 weeks of urgent care psychiatry, and 8 weeks of neurology, I graduated from first year of residency.
[What? R1 LUKE is evolving!]
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[Congratulations! Your R1 LUKE evolved into R2 LUKE!]
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In writing this post, I figured I should have some big insights after intern year. For help, I looked to my favorite medical show, Scrubs (rest in peace), specifically the episode about J.D.'s last day as an intern: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXMopZ4i7pk (Scrubs - Season 1, Episode 24). The episode had some typical intern-coming-of-age lessons such as the need to remain compassionate in the face of increasing cynicism as a resident. What stands out for me, though, is the ending where Dr. Cox's ex-wife goes out of her way to expose various secrets that the characters had. (Hidden romantic feelings, previous hook-ups, professional back-stabbings.)
Fortunately my year didn't end as awkwardly as the episode did, but I think the scene highlights an important aspect of intern year: the development of relationships. Each of the secrets that was exposed involved a relationship between the characters that had been cultivated over the season. Though it has happened throughout my life, connecting with others has taken a special significance during intern year. As funny as it might sound, intern year was when I started truly living on my own (dorm and Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house in college, condo roommates followed by Phi Rho Sigma in medical school). The transition from living in a house with twenty-five friends to living by myself in an apartment was striking. No longer could I rely solely on proximity to connect with others.
I believe this fact is what motivated me to go out of my way to make relationships this year. Ever since undergrad I've been notorious for being a listserv spammer, but I feel that this year my emails to others took on more significance as I looked for company to join me in exploring Dayton's culinary and entertainment scene. Being selected as the 2013-2014 Resident Social Chair was the most visible culmination of these efforts, but they don't stop at simply finding people to hang out with. Some of the most meaningful moments this year involved mingling friend groups (most notably when I had a big dinner gathering of high school, college, and med school friends in San Francisco during the APA Annual Meeting) or helping people to network with others (e.g. med student friends with friends in residency). Here's to hoping the trend continues!