Doctora!

Before we leave ELAM and enter the teaching hospital in September, we are required to know and be tested on our knowledge of the full physical exam, including all of the body systems.  Last week, our yellow-school bus of 47 was dumped off at our policlinic, wherein the emergency clinic was volun-told to administer our exam.  I looked around, and I saw doctors and nurses scrambling everywhere, a waiting- room full of patients, and I felt almost as if we were invading the policlinic as meager 2^nd year medical students.  Obviously, at the time, I felt there are more important matters to attend to, you know…like medical emergencies and patients, but not in Cuba.  They are educating us to be physicians, right?  While waiting for the attending physician to stop what he was doing to examine us, I took a seat in a quiet, dark spot down the hall to meditate and keep myself calm as we entered into the realm of performing the physical exam on a patient (a classmate), while the professor/physician scrutinized our every move to make sure that we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.  I was sitting there in meditation, when I hear “Doctora!”  I ignored the call.  Then I hear again “Doctora!”  I looked to my right, and then to my left and saw a super-dreamy physician down the hall looking in my direction.  I looked to my right and left once again.  He yelled again, “Doctora, are you part of the group here for their exam this morning?”  Then, I realized he was calling me “doctor.”  Who, me?!  So, I responded “Yes, professor.”  He was just calling me doctor.  Shit!!  He was calling ME doctor.  But, but…I’m just a little-grader 2^nd year medical student.  Nope…I’m doctor.  The attending physician stopped what he was doing, herded our group of 6 into the observation room, sitting there, waiting along the wall with the bright-metal bed pans.   This “doctor” was in awe of her rock-star professor/attending physician of an emergency clinic/cardiologist who within seconds identified a compensatory scoliosis on a patient whom I had observed as being “healthy, normal.”  Of course I had no idea what I was looking at. I performed the exam correctly for a grade of 5, but all I saw was a back with no major deformities or lesions.  Then, he carefully demonstrated to me the uniqueness of the case.  He discovered a subtle abnormality on what was supposed to be a healthy/normal patient, aka one of my cohorts.  So, once again I am reminded that I have so much to learn, but one day I hope to be a rock-star doctor, just like that dreamy-mass I saw in the shadow of the hall that reminded me that I am worthy to be called doctor [in-training].

P.S.  If any of you would like to send me some flight-money love, I am still in need of donations.