Too keen?

Somebody once said to me that there are two types of clinical students- those who spend all of their time with patients, and those who spend all their time with books. Sir William Osler's famous quote comes to mind: "He who studies medicine without books sails an uncharted sea, but he who studies medicine without patients does not go to sea at all." In my typically smug, self-assured style, I decided to be somebody who managed to balance patients and books.

How wrong I was!

Three times in the past five days I waited at the train station before the sun had lit up the sky, and three times I left the hospital long after the sun did. Last night, I went back to the hospital after dinner purely because I wanted to see how my patient was post-op, and say goodbye before she was discharged. Is it so wrong to be interested in patient follow-up?

And the corresponding lack of book study is also true. I have done little study this week, and have not bumped into that nice chinese intern with his free tutes. But my time at the outpatient clinic was beneficial, at least.

I still hope to go on call..! I don't think I am being too keen, am I?