“I am going to burn my white coat.”

That was Ben’s half-joking answer to my question about his plans for his short white coat, the daily uniform of med students that distinguishes them from long-coat-wearing doctors. I was thinking of making a shadowbox, but OK.

The fact that we were even having that conversation means that MED SCHOOL IS FINALLY OVER!

I am not a fan of writing in all-caps, but some things warrant digital yelling, people.

Three and a half years. Seven moves. Twenty-five day-long tests. Five life-changing tests. Countless flights. Eight hospitals or clinics. Two countries. Three states. And a partrige in a pear tree… Make that an iguana in a flamboyant tree! That (and a whole lot of prayer) is what it took for Ben to finish medical school.

Add an agonizing application process (so many decisions!) and nine interviews, and you get the residency match process. Match Day 2019 turned out succesfully with Ben getting residency at his top choice. He’ll be working in Phoenix for the next three years. We’re home! Every day, we thank God and are grateful that it’s over.

What a ride!

If you aren’t familiar with the med school process, here’s what it looks like:

-4 years of undergrad with pre-med emphasis. Ideally includes volunteer work, research, clinical experience. Thinking you’re going to die yet knowing med school is exponentially more difficult.

-Take the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test)

-Write a stellar application, apply, interview.

-Year One: Classes. Lots of tests, anatomy lab, studying until you fall asleep in your desk. All-nighters because you get home from studying at 3 AM to find your wife forgot she borrowed your key, and locked the door, and went to bed (sorry).

-Year Two: Classes. More tests, harder subjects, memorizing the molecular structure and chemical behavior of every drug ever. Cramming an impossible amount of information into your brain. Comprehensive exam.

-Step One: First licensing exam. Eight-hour test over everything learned in the past two years.

– Year Three: Clinical rotations, which means spending long days at hospitals and clinics learning the ropes of various specialties.

-Step 2: A two-part test over two days on both clinical knowledge and clinical skills. Most students have to travel to take this test.

-Year four: Slightly more humane work hours. Basically paying to work in hospitals and clinics. Getting to participate more in deliveries and surgeries. Lots of seminars. Senioritis. Agonizing decision about which specialty to pursue.

-Applying for residency: Long application followed by applying to up to 100 programs.

-Interviews: Weed through invitations, pick your favorites and attend as many as you can afford/convince your supervisor to give you days off to attend. Travel the country. Attend fancy dinners.

-The Match: Rank your favorite residency programs. Hope your favorites rank you high in their list. Bite your nails as a computer algorithm matches you to a program.

-Match Day: Best day or worst day of your life.

-Graduation: Finishing med school, burning your short white coat (apparently) and getting that $250,000 piece of paper that proves you can legally slice people open, or give out narcotics, or remove organs.

-Rest of your life: Continuing education, plus saving lives and hopefully finding the cure for cancer.

Ben actually managed to finish a four-year med school program in three and a half years, which meant skipping the life-giving breaks between clinical rotations and jumping into each new challenge without time to recuperate from the demanding schedule. He did take some time to study for Step 1 (an eight-hour exam over 2 years of information), but not much. Taking the test early meant he had a rare opportunity to start his third year of school early, which meant finishing fourth year early and matching in 2019. A lot of people who started in September 2015 with him will have to match in 2020, thanks to their clinical rotation placement and its schedule, which students don’t have a lot of control over. So we are very thankful for the way things worked out!

We had to fill out an alumni survey at our alma matter’s homecoming celebration this weekend. When he came to the “title” section, it was with great flourish that Ben skipped over the “Mr.” box and checked “Dr.” He’s waited a long time to introduce himself as Dr. Johnson.