The Armor of a Medical Student

As in most professions, medicine calls for a certain standard of attire. But a medical student's panoply is more involved than just a tie and a white coat. If one wants to make it through the fray, one must be completely prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.


We begin the morning, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to take on the world
1. Stethescope - no medical professional can get by without it. Needed to listen to heart, lungs, internal organs, blood vessels, and more or less anything you can think of. Not to mention it gives you street cred (particularly when worn around the neck as displayed).
2. Clipboard - You cannot imagine the amount of paper that moves through the hands of a student through the day. This becomes the only means of organization
3. Cell Phone - The electronic leash. Usually over 40 text messages sent and received throughout the day telling you to go to radiology, come down to lecture, oh lecture's been canceled don't come down, have you gone to radiology yet?, etc.
Also the source of medical software. Because the human brain can't hold 40,000,000,000 drug names. Much less generic AND brand names for each.
4. Quick Reference Texts - Don't leave home without these. Great quick refresher while your resident is being pimped* during rounds.
5. Misc. Medical Equpment - Including reflex hammer, pen light, eye chart, tuning fork... because you never know when you'll need to serenade a patient on key.
6. Coffee Mug - The lifeblood of your humble observer. Because 5 am comes oh so early.



As the morning progresses, the student is charged with putting all that wonderful equipment to good use. Examining patients, writing notes, checking labs and all between the hours of 8-8:30.



Being on the floor is all about quick reference (as above). Here we display the three that your humble observer chooses to employ.
1. ePocrates software on cell phone - mostly useful for drug information
2. Massachusetts General Pocket Medicine - all of medicine in a cute little red binder
3. Maxwell's Quick Medical Reference - Lab values, key points to an H&P, and dermatomes. Often saves you from looking stupid in front of a patient.


In addition to what we carry on us at all times, there is the small issue of books. There are at minimum 5 authorities as far as texts are concerned, and they don't always agree (see putting reflex hammer to good use). At the end of the day, diffusion by osmosis might be the best use of Pocket Medicine.

And the most important part of the armor:


Like Gawain's Shield, makes you invincible to the blows of nurses, residents, fellow students, and anyone else who dares hurl less than encouraging words at you. Allows you to let it all just slide off. The medical student's infinite knot.


*Pimping - In medicine, used to describe scenarios in which the higher ups (attendings, senior residents) question those lower on the ladder (students, interns, etc.) More on this later.