The Real Tales of an Intern

“Hello, who is this?” “Sam, it’s me, Chad”. Sam thought…which Chad was this? Then she remembered. Of course: “How are you?” “I am good. You?” “I am cool. What’s up with you?” “I am trying to sort out my internship.” “Any heads up?” “Yes, I got a slot in the public hospital downtown.” “Don’t go there.” “Why?” “The ambiance is gloomy. You don’t want to end up with depression while interning.” “Do I have a choice? You know how difficult it is to get a slot. And it is not as if internships are optional. I have to hold on to this until I find something else.” “Okay, keep me posted.” “Thanks for checking in.” “You are welcome.” Chad hung up.

Samantha did not feel good after that call. Yes, she knew this hospital was not her first choice for the internship. The truth was as far as internships go, demand always outstripped supply. The number of people outnumbered the available slots. Being choosy wasn’t wise. Some people got desperate and either ended up in an unaccredited center or worked for free the whole year. There were stories of those who ended up several years post-graduation without internships. So far, she was yet to hear if internships were optional. It’s like your education was not complete without it.

The next Monday, Sam went to the medical board to go get her offer letter. It was nice seeing her new title and her new posting. The reality was she was starting less than two weeks away. No more flexing, no more waking up by 9 am. Some of her classmates had begun their internships at other centers. The stories were endless. Some had scanty postings. Others had minimal supervision. Some took indiscriminate vacations. There were those that had horror stories and others doing exploits. There were still some who talked about cases that were mind-blowing. Well, Sam had not started hers so had no tales to tell.

On her official resumption date, Sam was at work before 8 am. Her first posting was adult medicine. This posting was three months long. She was to spend her time between the emergency room, the wards, and the outpatient department. She wandered off to the wards. Chad was right. They were gloomy so much it was palpable. Sam walked into her assigned ward. She saw the nurses at their station. She also noticed someone at a table in the center scribbling away. She walked over to him. “Hi, my name is Sam.” “Hi, I am Fabian. Are you with us?” “I don’t know. Today is my first day.” “Let me see your letter.” Sam brought out the letter from her ward coat pocket and handed it over.

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”

Robert Louis Stevenson

“Yes, you are with us. I am trying to finish up the case summaries. We have a ward round soon.” “Ok, what can I do?” “Watch me for now. Once you get a hang of it, you can write as well. Go through the case notes so you are not lost during the ward round.” Sam started to flip through the notes. Some were bulky and others, not as much. A lot of the cases were chronic diseases seen in adult medicine. At some point, the entries began to look alike between case notes. Some handwritings were lovely and a delight to read. Sometimes, Sam spent more time in those case notes. When she looked up, her companion had left. She looked around for him and found him standing at the nurses’ station.

She thought about joining him but decided to stick to “familiar territory”. What did she know they were talking about? After a while, Fabian walked away from the nurses’ station towards her. “Ward round is in five.” In five minutes, an elderly gentleman and another lady, both in white coats walked into the ward. Fabian beckoned to her and she got up. “This is Samantha, she is joining our team.” “How are you? Have you familiarized yourself with the cases?” “I have sir.” “Ok, talk to me about this patient.” They had walked to the first bed. Sam rattled through what she recalled. Her new supervisor seemed pleased. It was hard to tell if she made an impression on the lady.

After two hours, the ward round ended. As it progressed, they spent less time on ‘well’ patients. Meanwhile, among the team members, blood sugars were low. Besides, patients were waiting in the outpatient. Her team was responsible for these patients. Sam wondered if there was a tea break of some sort. She was hungry. As her thoughts wandered away, she heard someone say to her: “Sam, let’s go to the outpatient.” She turned and followed the lady doctor on her heels. When they got to the outpatient, she saw endless numbers of patients sitting and waiting. At some point, they arrived at a consulting room. There was a huge table with five seats. “Samantha, take a seat, call your first patient.”