Mealy mouths: Do Not Enter

This week I was in a class consisting of medical, physician assistant, and respiratory therapist students. We were reviewing the week’s material and responding to instructor prompts as to the locations and names of various anatomy landmarks. One of the students in front corrected the instructor about a mistake concerning the innervation of a particular muscle (teres minor, I think), and I heard a gentleman behind me say, “She just wants to show everyone how smart she is.”

I immediately thought to myself, “Well… she did get into med school. She must have something on the ball…” But, as I began to ruminate on it, I became a bit more indignant. Truth is she may very well be full of herself and be looking to make points, but we really have no room for cynicism in our group. Over the course of my years I have seen many obnoxious and arrogant men and women save more than a few lives and improve the quality of the lives of many of us – simply due to their expansive knowledge. Truth is, too, that is hard to sit in that room and not have a tremendous potential to effect people for the better. It will likely happen no matter how shallow or petty we may be. Indeed, in light of our universal imperfection, I think it much wiser for us to set aside our smaller sense of self and rise to the occasion of lifting up our comrades in arms.

I have always been able to find some good in most every person, though, I must confess, I have written a few off as unredeemable. I place them in the hands of a higher authority. I simply do not have the compassion to find good in them. But, we do need to remember the vetting process we went through to sit in that audience, and give credit where it is due. If one of our colleagues is willing to put in the time to learn the material in pursuit of their goal to be a better physician, then by all means let us set them on our shoulders and carry them forward. They could discover the idea that cures cancer, and their hard-earned knowledge could make them a powerful ally some day. Together we may join them in building a better world.

So, if you want to go to med school, leave the bad attitude in the rearview. You won't have room for anything other than a positive outlook. Prepare to work hard and join others who came here to do the same thing. Every day is an incredible opportunity here. I think if you stay aware of those opportunities and avail yourself of them, you’ll definitely make it to Oz. It’s a little harder than tapping your heels, but you’ll get there. Just stick to the road and keep skipping.