Medical School in the Big City, Vol. I: Blood in the Streets

[Birdstrike]

Medical School in the Big City, Vol. I: Blood in the Streets

“Blood in the streets, the town of Chicago…
Blood in the streets of the town of New Haven;
Blood stains the roofs and the palm trees of Venice…
Blood on the rise, it's following me.”
– Jim Morrison​

During my first year of medical school, my roommate and I decided to live downtown in the Big City, while we attended Big City Medical School. One late night, shortly after moving in, we were studying for our first big anatomy test. In through open windows billowed steam-thick August air and the sound of,

Pop! Pop! Pop!

“Fireworks,” I said to my roommate.

“That was gun shots. Get used to it,” he shot back, without lifting his eyes off his brachial plexus diagram.

“How do you know?” I asked.

“I’ll show you,” he pushed a button on his watch and folded his arms.

“Whatever….” I said, and went back to studying.

“Hear that?” he said, as he cupped a hand behind his ear, and turned his head, as sirens crawled closer from the distance. He pushed the button on his watch again, with a beep. “14 minutes: a pretty pathetic EMS response time. Whoever got shot is sure to be dead by now. Don’t you listen to Public Enemy? ‘911’s a joke in yo town!’ By the way, did you hear that EMS ride-a-longs are no longer mandatory?”

“No. Why is that?” I asked.

“On the last one, the ambulance was shot full of holes,” he answered with a gunner’s grin. “Pretty cool, isn’t it?” That’s how “Medical School in the Big City” started. You definitely had the sense you could lose your life at any minute if you made the wrong move, at the wrong time, or for nothing at all.

On day, I pulled my car up to the gated entrance to our new apartment complex. The swing-down gate was broken off and the maintenance man was bolting on a new gate-arm. I rolled down the window, and asked him, “What happened?”

“Someone just drove right through and busted it off because they didn’t have their card. People just don’t care around here. Why swipe your card when you can just drive through and smash the gate? It’s a war zone around here,” he answered.

“I know. The airbag was already stolen out of my car and we saw our neighbor’s car get repossessed last night,” I answered.

“See that building over there?” he asked, pointing to the tall apartment complex across the street.

“Yes,” I answered, as I looked at the nondescript brick buildings.

“A baby fell out the 6th floor window last night,” he said, and laughed. “It lived, too,” he laughed again. “They always live. It happens every few months. The bushes or an awning always seem to break their fall,” he said shaking his head.

That night I had my noise canceling headphones on and was studying. It was dark. It was late. I was caffeinated. I was determined to ace my next exam.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

It must be the song. Crazy music nowadays…

BAM! THE DOOR TO MY ROOM BLASTS OPEN A GUN IS IN MY FACE I’M GOING TO DIE RIGHT NOW HOLY @$#%&* !! (Read More)

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[Chip N Sawbones]

Nice story. Appropriate timing too, what with all the new med students leaving home to start school in a few weeks. Moving to the big-ish city and getting crowded in with everyone else is going to be an unpleasant change from my house in Alaska.

 

[Birdstrike]

Nice story. Appropriate timing too, what with all the new med students leaving home to start school in a few weeks. Moving to the big-ish city and getting crowded in with everyone else is going to be an unpleasant change from my house in Alaska.

Thinking back to medical school, some of the most interesting things had nothing to do with patients, procedures, work or "Medicine" at all. This is one example.

Despite the hard work, you'll have a great time and a lifetime of stories to tell. I'm sure the only "pop" you will hear is the "pop" of the champagne cork in 4 years.

Good luck.