Induction
Posted 04:51 PM, August 30, 2006, by tenfordeWhite coats, stethoscopes, and scrubs don't make a doctor: they are an iconic start towards becoming a doctor. Rather, we face the challenge of being trained to a new way of thinking.
After returning from SWEAT, our class was physically tired from our grueling, grizzly hikes through the Sierra Wilderness. Yet, one of the lessons of medicine is that there is no rest for the weary. The following day we began our orientation. It spanned three days and included being addressed by faculty and staff about the curriculum. We know that we have an immense amount of work ahead of us over the next four or five years, but it was comforting to hear the passion that everyone spoke of their roles in our future education.
The highlight of our three-day orientation was the conclusion with the Stethoscope Ceremony. My family and girlfriend attended the ceremony. The evening included an outstanding dinner and the presentation of a personalized stethoscope for each student. Dean Pizzo addressed our class and reminded us of the challenges ahead of us in the field of medicine. Rather than merely discussing the long hours and years of training ahead, he spoke in a global sense and reminded us that our opportunity to enter the field of medicine was associated with a responsibility to educate the public about the disparities in our health care system and political forces that threaten progress in areas of science including evolution, stem cell research, and environmental protection.
He challenged us to engage in discourse with the public and to think of these issues in a global sense. Being at a top-notch institution and living in California, a state that has publicly funded a stem-cell initiative, it would be easy to be complacent and insulated from global challenges. I was proud of Dean Pizzo and the way he spoke of Stanford as an institution that is globally aware and engaged in world issues.
After the ceremony, our SWEAT group (The Grizzled Sloths) found each other for a picture opportunity. In addition, my house (composed of Alana Frost, Jessica Telleria, and me) took additional pictures wearing our scrubs, white coats, and stethoscopes. Although we looked the part of doctors, our orientation suggested we have a long way to go.
The Grizzled Sloths (from left): Ariel, Luiz, Jason, me, Philippa, and Jason
My roommates and me (from left): Jess, me, and Alana
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