FOR BETTER,
FOR WORSE
Valerie Briones-Pryor, MD
I
’m a polygamist. Though I have been with
my husband, Matthew, for 12 years, I have
been with my other spouse for much longer. It’s a relationship that spans most of my
lifetime and whose depth is sometimes beyond understanding. Yet, like my marriage
to Matthew, my relationship with my other
spouse continues to grow, deepen and change
with time.
Please meet my spouse: Medicine.
I was introduced to Medicine by my parents at a very early age,
even before high school. Looking back, it may even have been
an arranged marriage. But I was young, I wanted to explore the
world, and not be committed to anyone or anything. So, through
high school and college, I played the field. I had some casual relationships with Music, Education – nothing too serious. Medicine
always hung around though, never too obvious, but always enough
to catch my notice.
By junior year, I was seeing Medicine more and more. I started
volunteering in a local ER and spent the summer in a primary
care clinic. By senior year, I was ready to show Medicine that I was
committed; I took the MCAT and applied to medical school. I asked
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LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
my professors to vouch that I was truly devoted to Medicine. I even
wrote a personal statement on why Medicine should choose me back.
Then it finally happened…I got engaged! That acceptance letter
to medical school was so beautiful. I remember showing it off and
talking about it constantly to family and friends.
Our engagement was quick, but the ceremony was beautiful. That
white coat fit me like a glove! It was such a memorable and exciting
day, standing there in front of my family, saying the Hippocratic
Oath, making my commitment to Medicine official. When I put
that stethoscope around my neck, I knew that Medicine and I were
together, for better, for worse, till death do us part.
Unfortunately, our honeymoon was short. That first year, I spent
a lot of time in the classroom and in the anatomy lab and Medicine
just wasn’t around as much as I wished. We would see one another
in passing, as when learning physical exams on patients. I could
hear Medicine talking in the halls when the residents and students
would walk past, but overall, it was as though we were living separate
lives. We saw a bit more of each other during second year when I
shadowed a few physicians, but those first two years were tough. I
wasn’t quite sure what Medicine still felt about me.
Third year was much better (kind of). Medicine and I spent nearly