Emily Goes to Medical School

Seventeen years ago, I remember sitting on my front porch, camcorder in hand, waiting for my daughter, Emily to arrive on the yellow school bus after her first day of kindergarden.  She came off of the bus with a lively step and while I recorded her, she excitedly told me about her first day.  A few weeks later, at teacher-parent night, I remember her teacher, Miss Antrim (now Mrs. Rayburn) telling us that she complimented Emily on one of her drawings.  She said, "Emily, that's very good.  You might be an artist one day."  Emily replied, "I already am."

Emily has always had a certain confidence about herself and somewhere between kindergarden and Sumner Hill Jr. High, Emily began talking about wanting to be a doctor.  I have always wondered what made her want to be a physician at such an early age.  There is no one in our family who is an M.D. and I know of no one that encouraged her in that direction. BUT, Emily Nations, now Emily Nations Bufkin wanted to go to medical school.  Anyone that knows Emily knows that if she sets her mind to a goal, she generally achieves it, and so she did.  Today, she starts her first true day as a M1/first year medical student (prayers appreciated).

This past Friday, Mary Lea and I went to a parent orientation at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC).  Honestly, I thought I had gone to my last parent orientation for my children but I was incorrect.

From the administrators, we heard about the difficulties of first year medical school, especially the first semester.  I have no doubt that Emily will be able to do well.  She always has, valedictorian at Clinton HS and a 4.0 GPA at Mississippi State while  majoring in biological engineering.   If she will only keep herself as stress free as possible, she will do well.  This means that she will need to accept the fact that she will not be perfect and cannot expect to be so (class averages usually in the mid-80s).  The administrators gave great advice:  Study, Sleep, Eat and Exercise, according to them, these are the essentials of success in medical school. 

Later that day, ML, Granny, Michael and I went to the white coat ceremony.  This is where the M1 students are presented with their short white medical coats.  This is also where the students are asked to recite the Hippocratic oath for the first time.  Needless to say, we are very proud.

As I said earlier, I really do not know what drove Emily to medical school but I certainly hope it was a desire to make a difference.  In a state with the least doctors per capita and the worst health in almost every category, I certainly hope that is why.