On the afternoon of Sunday, 6/30/24, I prelim signed off my last report as a neuroradiology fellow at Yale. It was the last of many lasts. Before fellowship, I remember reading my last case as a resident at Sinai (it was 11 pm Thursday, lol), and I also remember my last sign-out as an internal medicine intern at Greenwich. If counting those six years plus four years of medical school at Cornell, ten long years it’s been since I moved to New York City to begin my medical training. A whole decade. A transformative decade, and it’s just ended!
It’s been a fun year with a great (and great big) fellowship class of twelve. Our camaraderie defined my year, and I appreciated how the whole dozen of us willingly looked out for one another. It’s been a privilege to work specifically at Yale New Haven Hospital. The diverse case mix and the attending faculty knowledge have been invaluable in my growth as a radiologist.
Never before have I trained so hard at one specific skill as I have for radiological interpretation. The sidecar hyper-specific skills of gaming-level mousing precision, aggressive scrolling, and speedy speech have been funny to hone for five years. However, it’s taken the full decade to grow the core skills of base medical knowledge and — I think most importantly — the emotional maturity to be a physician. The courage to bear the responsibility of others’ lives, the tact to handle it, and the confidence to trust myself with that onus. Now, I’m comfortable with the idea of being a neuroradiologist.
I’m glad to be finally done with the unpredictability of training and matches. Though I’ve been fortunate being confined to NYC and southern Connecticut, I’m tired of being punted about, and I’ve taken enough Metro North commuter trains for now. Next up, my full-time gig as a neuroradiologist out in Queens!