Battle burnout.

With a dozen medical school exams under my belt barely three months into school, I suffered the same fate as many of my classmates who have been treading hard to stay afloat - BURNOUT.

After exams I took a week off from school. And myself.

Relaxing getaway? Not so much.

A few days into my “vacation,” I noticed I was neither acting nor feeling like myself. I was cranky, lazy and my normal enthusiasm for life was dampened. I was accomplishing nothing.

I realized that I thrive on personal and academic discipline, organization and routine. Doing, excelling, working – these are the things that make me feel good about myself and excited about what each day may bring.

Clearly, I needed to find an alternate therapy for academic burnout.

I re-read my personal statement where I say, “Healing as a physician is a threefold process involving knowledge, medical care and emotional support.…and I’m inspired to pursue this process further with a career in medicine.”

My own words motivated me to get out from under biochemistry and to reconnect with why I am here.

Today I met with a professor of anesthesiology to discuss my career aspirations, and he gave me advice, told me I could shadow in the OR and set me up with a mentor. I also attended a workshop where I learned suturing techniques and methods to obtain samples for biopsy. On Thursday, I get to see the heart. Next week I’m going to an intubation workshop.

I’m not seeing patients yet, but now I remember that I will.

I’m re-inspired to prepare myself.