And now introducing

I'm starting residency. Tomorrow is the first day I will introduce myself as "Doctor" to patients.

I'm in the Primary Care/ Social Internal Medicine program at Montefiore Medical Center, in the Bronx. More on that later. In essense, public health + internal medicine + primary care.

Two years ago, I was taking a leave of absence from medical school to pursue an MFA in poetry at Brooklyn College. I had started my fourth year prior to leaving, and had thus spent close to three months in the "sub" intern role, with a greater degree of autonomy and individual work with patients than during my third year.

Prior to leaving, I wrote a blog post called "The Luckiest," referring to (at the time) medical students, poised on the path of an incredible career. (Reposted below)

This is something to recall, and something that, even on the bad days, is still true.

Today, tomorrow is the first day, but it's also the nth day of a path I've been on for a long time. Steep learning curve, steps you learn how to barely jump or grasp with determined fingertips. I'm still convinced--and I hope to remain convinced, most of the time--that, for me, this is one of the best things, and it is absolutely the right thing. Right now.