Well, July certainly started off with a bang – from fireworks, that is. I'm on Emergency Medicine this month at nearby hospital St. Joe's. Thankfully, I didn't actually have to work the Fourth of July and instead spent the sunny day with my family before returning to Ann Arbor to continue orientation. Now that Ann Arbor allows fireworks within the city, I was able to see a lot more fireworks out my window than ever before.

Emergency Medicine is essentially a third-year clerkship that takes place during our fourth year, replete with observation cards and shelf exams. However, for many of us, this will be our last exam of medical school. And I think we're all happy about that. During the next few weeks, we will be doing day shifts, evening shifts, and night shifts in both adult and pediatric settings. I started off my rotation on night shifts, working from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. As an avowed sleep fanatic, overnight shifts are not my favorite (I usually go to bed before 10 p.m.), but I enjoyed them nevertheless. I was even able to repair some lacerations, including a tricky one on a patient's hand. I greatly appreciate the variety inherent in the practice of emergency medicine, but it would drive me nuts to not know what happened to any given patient after they left my care.

This past weekend, I was incredibly lucky to be able to participate in my fifth and final Dean's cup golf tournament. The ending was definitely bittersweet, as this is a tournament that I have helped to organize for the past four years with Dean Raj and Denise Brennan. Despite predictions of rain, the weather was gorgeous and sunny and I had a blast with my teammates, even when we almost got hit by an errant golf ball. Each pairing consists of a faculty member and three students, who play together in a scramble format.

From left to right: Dr. Jim Peggs, Jasmine Harris, me, Jake Nelson

I played with Dr. Peggs, a former UMMS dean and the person who asked me if I wanted to organize the tournament within five minutes of my entering the clubhouse as an incoming M1. We also played with two students participating in the LEAD pre-matriculation program, one of whom I asked to carry on my position (however I waited until we finished the round J). It was clear that everyone had a fantastic time, as we talked outside the new clubhouse waiting for later groups to finish. The camaraderie was immediately evident and we (maybe) fooled the participating new M1s that medical school is like this all the time… I could not have asked for a more perfect day.

And now, it's time to sleep. My body is still adjusting back from nights and tomorrow's shift will come earlier than my brain would like. J