Fourth Year Is For Resting

It's an epidemic.

I'm not talking about the swine flu, obesity, or Bieber fever.  I'm talking about senioritis and fourth year medical students worldwide are inflicted with the most severe cases ever known to man.  There is no way of stopping it (although I'm pretty sure we would decline the immunization even if there was one).  After years of pushing ourselves since kindergarten to attain the highest grades and impress all the right people, we are finally at a point where we can breathe.  Residency applications are submitted, board exams are finished, and no one will see our grades except the registrar.  Studying glycogen storage diseases until the wee hours of the morning has quickly been replaced with watching Jersey Shore marathons until our eyes bleed and we are convinced that "Snooki" would be a really great name for our first born child. 

Scrubs are worn as much as possible, white coats are nowhere to be seen, and combing hair is clearly optional.  Our email inboxes are flooded with messages from the Deans telling us that we really do still have to show up at the hospital everyday.

Residents and attending physicians can easily recognize the symptoms and they all know the treatment.   After all, they remember when they suffered from the same ailment years ago. 

A subtle tap on the shoulder and a quiet whisper:  Go home...fourth year is for resting...

You don't have to tell me twice!