just like a bicycle ride

Last Saturday I went to see my friend in the laboratory where she works as a research associate. She was working overtime (with no pay!) just to meet a deadline. She was already running behind schedule and I ended up helping her to speed things up. I was familiar with the procedure having been able to work in the same project before albeit very briefly. Late in the afternoon her supervisor arrived requesting additional slide mounts for examination on top of the samples she had to process. I helped her with that also.

I was surprised at how easily I got back in the groove of things. It was just like clockwork. Everything just fell into place. To make a terrible analogy, it was like riding a bicycle. When I learned how to do it, it didn't matter if I stopped riding a bike for a long period of time. After a few wobbly turns, I was bound to get back to riding like before. The ease of my transition from studying to laboratory work made me wonder if I was actually more suited for research and laboratory work than clinical practice. It is no secret that my abilities to get a COMPLETE medical history leave much to be desired. On the other hand, my normally shaky hands never feel more comfortable than when I am holding a micropipettor and performing procedures requiring skill and precision.

bicycle joyride

I have a little over a year before graduation. After that I still have postgraduate internship and the medical board exams to worry about. With regards to the decision to do research or clinical practice, all I have to say is I’ll cross the bridge when I get there.