a pick-me-up kind of day

today, i stayed at the hospital later than i intended, for no apparent reason. there is this saying in medicine "the longer you stay, the longer you stay" and "get out when you can." :)

i was signed up to volunteer at a free clinic run by the medical school tonight. i was really dreading it because i'm exhausted and it was from 5:30-7:30pm. i managed to squeeze in a 20 min nap that was much needed.

but once i got there, i had a great time! a lot of patients actually showed up and needed real medical attention. some needed vaccines, others needed to be sent to the emergency room. we worked with first-year medical students and i was amazed at how much i've learned over my first year of residency and how far i've come from first-year of medical school when i didn't even know how to do a physical exam.

as i was driving home, i remembered why i began this long journey to become a doctor. and why i love our hospital that serves the underserved southside of Chicago. my college's motto "not to be served, but to serve" rings true every day i'm at work, and tonight, it was even more true.