That moment when you realize that you're ONLY THREE WEEKS AWAY from graduation!!!

I'm really going to have an M.D. in three weeks y'all. Like, I'm really about to be a Black Man, M.D. forreal forreal. I can't even begin to express the level of emotion that I will surely feel during Graduation weekend and beyond. Just thinking about it all is starting to give me goosebumps!

Although it hasn't completely hit me yet (and it most likely won't until the day after I graduate), I still can't find the right words to fully encompass the feeling I get whenever I begin thinking about the magnitude of this accomplishment. The closest I can get to describing this feeling are using words like: surreal, incredible, humbling, nerve-wracking, sensational, exciting, delightful, extraordinary, and dumbfounding. I feel like although I've learned SO MUCH in these past few years, I still have a lot to learn before becoming the type of confident, intelligent and graceful healer that people think of whenever they hear the word “Doctor”.

Turns out, that's exactly what my residency training is for.

I'm not supposed to know everything before starting my intern year. As a matter of fact, there isn't a doctor out there that knows all there is to know about medicine; that's why we call it the “practice of medicine”. So with that said, as long as I know how to look up answers to the questions I have, know when to ask for help, know how to be a great team player, and know how to effectively learn from both my mistakes as well as the mistakes of others in order to grow into a better clinician, I'll be just fine as I begin my residency training in June. 😁😁😁

My confidence in starting residency is also being boosted by the Intern Boot Camp experience that my school has been hosting this past week. The sessions that I have participted in so far have been very helpful in preparing me for the beginning of my intern year of residency. The sessions that I have participated in touched on topics such as how to effectively transition care in the hospital, tips regarding lines and tubes on imaging films, debt management & loan repayment, over-the-counter medications, effectively giving bad news & avoiding burnout, effective approaches to pain management and rashes in the pediatric population, the importance of sleep in residency, adolescent rights, treating conditions that commonly present in the hospital, and appropriately prescribing opioids to patients (part of our special DEA-X training).

In addition, I got the chance to participate in a workshop where I was tasked with leading a multidisciplinary team in stabilizing a patient who was acutely decompensating (talk about nerve-wracking), I practiced performing various procedures (putting in an IV line, placing and removing a central line, establishing intraosseous access, and performing a lumbar puncture) at a separate procedures workshop that took place in our old anatomy lab (I HAD FLASHBACKS 😩😨🥺), and I learned some valuable teaching skills during an “Intern as Teacher” workshop that I will try to utilize throughout my time in residency. These have all been very fruitful experiences that I'm sure will prove to be immensely useful in a few short months, and I'm looking forward to learning from the rest of the sessions taking place this week. I'm SO glad that Wake is doing this for us; Lord knows I needed a few reminders about certain topics before graduating. It's amazing how rusty you can get during your last year of school…..😅😅😅

After this upcoming week, I'll be done with my boot camp experience and will officially be done with all of my requirements for medical school. I'll then be playing the waiting game for two weeks as I continue to make preparations for graduation and the beginning of my residency training. Preparing for residency means that I'll have to start packing up my belongings and begin the process of moving to Chapel Hill. In case you weren't already aware, I. HATE. MOVING. (I managed to only have to move one time during my four years here, and it was literally up the street…I still hated every second of the process 😒) But alas, it must be done. So I'll get it done. Along with moving, I still need to finish getting all of my paperwork done for my residency training. There's sooo much paperwork that I need to complete in the next couple of weeks…it's damn near suffocating. But again, I'll get it done because if I don't, I can't begin my training. And it would have been a hell of a waste of time, effort and MONEY if I went through everything I've gone through, only to not be able to use my medical degree in my residency program. The thought of not being able to start my training makes me shudder. So yeah, I'll shut up and get the paperwork done lol. 

Okay, I think that does it for this post. I hope you had a marvelous weekend and that you have a spectacular week! 😄

“Confidence is a habit that can be developed by acting as if you already had the confidence you desire to have.” – Brian Tracy

– Black Man, M.D.

P.S. – I went to my first music festival this past weekend! Broccoli City was a good time, though it had the potential to be even better. Shoutout to VIP access thoooo!!! 🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿

P.P.S. – I STILL haven't seen Avengers yet! 😭😭😭 I'll fix that this week though!!! Oh and although I don't really watch Game of Thrones, I decided to watch the latest episode with my girlfriend (a very devoted fan) last night. That battle scene was CRAAAZZYYY!!!