Cameron Barruga graduated from 沃拉沃拉大学 in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in biology. Since then, he has been studying medicine at Loma Linda University. 在他六月份毕业后, Barruga matched in urology at a combined residency program at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth 和 Eastern Virginia Medical School. 在这里，他回顾了他在医学院的时光. 这个故事最初发表在LLU's 校友杂志.
“Cameron, please tell me all the different ways someone can present with gross hematuria.这句话从主治医生嘴里说出来, I began to feel what most medical students feel when they realize they are about to settle in for a long case in the operating room with a very academically inclined 和 well-respected physician: sweaty palms, 胸部心悸, 以及一般的压力状态.
It was August 2021, 和 I was on my urology sub-internship in preparation for the application cycle. Stress levels were at an all-time high as feelings of inadequacy, 怀疑, 失败开始潜入我的脑海. I fumbled through what I hoped was a plausible response, 主治医生用更深的, 更复杂的问题. 我知道整个下午我都要待在这里了.
My route to urology was a bit circuitous, if not unexpected. I can distinctly recall coming home from shadowing a urologist during my undergraduate education 和 telling my mother, “妈妈, 我知道我不想成为泌尿科医生. I do not want to be working down there with that stuff for the rest of my life!“然而, as I started medical school 和 began to actually unpack what I truly wanted in life 和 in medicine, 我发现泌尿科是最好的解决办法.
泌尿外科拥有一切:技术和创新, the chance to work with your h和s while also thinking 和 treating with your mind, balance between clinic 和 dedicated operating time for large 和 small procedures, 良好的患者预后和满意度, a component of preventive medicine with men’s health awareness, 和, 也许最重要的是, 医学上最好的人和笑话. My experience in Loma Linda University’s urology department opened my eyes to these considerations 和 awakened my calling to pursue the specialty. I often felt spoiled by the generous 导师hip I was given from the residents 和 参加; I never walked away from a day with the department without a smile on my face.
I could go on 和 on about how much I love urology. I did a complete 180 degree flip from what I expected/experienced in undergraduate education to what I actually found to be true in medical school. It is funny how our thoughts 和 ideas can be influenced by a singular experience only to be changed much later with a different perspective.
The rest of the procedure described above had some complications. I remember the attending asking me question after question, some of which I could not answer. At one point he paused 和 observed the monitor as the patient started to lose blood 和 become hypotensive. What transpired next I can only describe as controlled chaos. There was a flurry of activity as the operating room staff started to hurriedly, 还有一定程度的恐慌, 在主治医生周围走动. 与此同时, 主治医生愤怒地说, 但是完全控制了局面, expertly sought to establish exposure of the problem. He quickly found the bleeding vessel 和 with great composure pinched it off with his h和s, 好像这是例行公事似的. I already had a high degree of respect for this attending, but it was pushed up tenfold after witnessing his composure 和 calm in the most critical of circumstances. 案件的其余部分都平安无事, 我甚至被允许闭合皮肤, always a treat for a budding surgeon medical student. After the procedure I was still feeling a bit low due to missing some of the questions the attending asked, but as we were walking back to his office he said, “今天干得好!, Cam; loved having you on service. 再接再厉.”
As I come to the end of medical school 和 reflect, I cannot help but see parallels between my medical school experience 和 my time in the operating room that day. 医学院很累. 它会对你的身体造成伤害. Some days are interminable, 和 you get asked questions for which you have no answers. It can make you 怀疑 a lot about yourself with all the exams, tests, 和 complications. 网上博彩澳门银河身边都是很棒的同学, 院长, 导师, 参加, 和 residents who will always be there to let us know we are doing a good job 和 remind us why it is all worthwhile. The peer-to-peer 导师hip culture on our campus is a gift; I always felt by the end of the day all would be well because my classmates had my back. 最重要的是, at Loma Linda University we are on a spirit-filled, God-fearing campus that encourages 和 affirms faith, which has always been important to me in regard to my personal outlook on whole person care 和 growth as an individual. 我会非常想念这个校园的, but I wear the badge of being an alumnus with pride because of my wonderful medical school experience.
