I finished my pediatrics rotation on Friday, and I took my first shelf exam ever. I think that if I had to describe the test in one word it would be "random." I had expected it to be challenging (which it was), and long (which it wasn't, at least in my opinion), but I didn't account for how disconcerting it would be to have all of the questions all jumbled up. All of my textbooks march neatly through the organ systems, and even the cumulative practice questions at the back of Pediatrics Blueprints didn't seem nearly as random as the exam was. I have no good way to really self-assess my performance on the exam; I definitely didn't get all of the questions right, but I'm optimistic that I did well enough to pass. I may have also spent a little time in the morning before the exam looking up the remediation policy just in case… Suffice it to say it's pretty generous – I don't think this would be the first time on this blog that I gave thanks that it is difficult to fail out of medical school. Once you're in they really want you to finish, so you get second chances even when you mess stuff up. In any case, I would have to say that even without knowing my grade I would consider my first rotation was a success. I learned a lot about how the hospital works, as well as about how I work as a medical student, and I even learned a bit (I hope!) about pediatrics.

Now I'm enjoying my first switch weekend of M3 year, and while it feels like I've emerged from the dark into the beautiful sunlight of July, I know that this coming week is probably one of the bigger trains I'll face in this tunnel of a year. Big enough to illuminate a whole weekend… I went on a 40 mile bike ride this morning with new med school friends, and have more outdoor fun planned for the rest of the weekend. On Tuesday, I have a full day of surgery orientation, and Wednesday will bring the start of a new rotation: a new schedule, a new set of objectives, and a new group of colleagues and instructors. I think I'll wait and think about that on Wednesday…