Useless Year of Medical School -- 30-Jun-09

About half way through my flight when most of the passengers were sleeping and I was watching a movie, I was surprised to see two male South African flight attendants carrying a female passenger to the back – she looked completely incapacitated and they had already put an oxygen mask on her. Shortly thereafter, I heard a flight attendant announce over the intercom “Is there a medical doctor or medical technician on board? If so please proceed to go the back of the plane.”

I froze. Thinking to myself that I am not technically a doctor, but I guess I could be considered a medical technician. At the same time the only thing I felt I could contribute was my rudimentary first responder training (and never used) that I got at the beginning of my school year. I was also slightly embarrassed because at the beginning of my flight I proudly told the passenger next to me that I had just finished my first year of medical school and was going to be working in some health clinics in Malawi. She instinctively looked to me to do something……man, I felt like I learned nothing of practically value during my first year of medical school and was frustrated at myself. In the minute it took me process these thoughts and finally muster up the courage to go back there, I was relieved to see other passengers getting up at the same time, presumably doctors, and making their way back there. At which point I then said my neighbor next me “Oh there are doctors on the plane, looks like they don’t need me” and sat back down. I only laugh now at what a chicken I was…..I don't really think my first year of medical school was useless (as my title suggest), but rather just am anxious to get started with the practical part of my medical training.

As an interesting side note, during 9/11 the first and second year medical students of Weill-Cornell Medical College also found themselves in a similar position. The students were ready to help in any way they could, but felt that they had no practical skills which to contribute. For those of you not familiar with medical school the first two years are spent studying the books – anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and more. Then the third and fourth years are spent doing clinical rotations, where you get your practical experiences. In response, the Weill-Cornell administration decided to give the first responder course that I wrote about earlier.