New York University School of Medicine - Medical Yearbook (New York, NY)

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l f Kwai-mwqp-.Q P sl an ii? .4 M Q . 1 l W Most of us weren't married when we arrived at the medical school, and thus had the experience of sharing a dormitory room. These rooms were minimally comfortable for one, for two - well, if they were hospital rooms, they would be con- sidered substandard in size and wouldn't qualify for Medi- caid. At the time, we managed, in retrospect, we don't know how. When we arrived, there weren't even any overhead lights. We studied Biochemistry and Physiology in the dark, for all the difference it made. The fluorescent lights were a big help when they arrived, and served us well aside from the blackout iust prior to the anatomy final. Rubin Hall is furnished in Dormitory Modern - that mar- velous 20th Century architectural style that combines function- ality with cinderblock sterility and budgetary acceptability. A little imagination could remedy the situation - cooking facili- ties, lounges, and study rooms on each floor, or maybe less heat in the rooms and more in the bathrooms. And the eleva- tors - they do all they can to make those at Bellevue and the VA look good . . . But alas, no money. Will we ever see a pool or indoor basketball court? Oh, that N.Y.U. were blessed with the endowment of a P.8.S. or a Harvard. lt's a good thing that we get a damn good education here. Some of us are married, but there are no suitable married student apartments. Maybe we were lucky and got a good deal, but for many it meant either formidable Manhattan rents or a long commute from the outlands. There is no villain in this situation. The school is short of funds, and a reasonable allocation of resources cannot at present accord student hous- ing a high priority. If only some genius, twenty years ago, had thought ahead. This problem, along with many others besetting the school, brings to mind an old saying, Lack of money is the root of all evil.

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1 T in 4. i wx A ' L , 1 I Q ' I fi LL, x k i 1 I L1 x A., 3, W Aff ng. Q I ge' Q -'l' '-.gis fx ' .' nf .Xnkfl ' 4 3 Vi, -:lf JG I 7 C , S- ' 1 if , 'i ,wi ' ' UWllWlWMlMdM 1- . . 41.-1: f- - l lij lfi'i ,Q 5 'W lil We fl ii U'llfriT'FQl l l l I L i ee- 2. oil - S-.llffgimjny Applying to medical school is done blindly. Indeed the decision to become a doctor is usually made without any real knowledge of the world of medicine. One can't really know which medical school is best, or even best suited to his needs, because one can't know a school until he is there. So we do the best we can, relying on short visits, slick public relations brochures, and the reactions of students already there. Once at a given school, inertia sets in and we try not to think that we might have done better. And now, four very short years later, we find ourselves apply- ing again. Applying for internships is again done blindly. Geogra- phy and the preiudices of your department chairman weigh heavily on your mind. ln the end, it is luck or fate that you end up at the right place for you. Most house staff officers seem to like progr0mS, no matter where they might be. Indeed, house staff are a different breed from medical students, who invariably find fault with their institutions. Maybe it's because house staff are too busy and l00 tired to be really unhappy. Their hospitals have plenty of faults, but their programs are inevitably good. Or maybe it's because medical students must pay S2700 a year tuition - for such a price, one is entitled to perfection. V l i

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H S . - - ' h clas d' I d ton is in flux. ln the last five years, e0C Me 'Co e UCC I h t different approach to the that has entered has taken a somew a .th the pre-clinical years. Somehow, it all ends up the same - WI f P t I of the Boards the sensa- frenetic and neurotic studying or ar D ' I tion that one knows nothing, and the almost Inevitable pass. , Our class, being in on a number of experiments that failed, was invariably referred to as the class that had no Anatomy or Microbiology lab. We were thus provided with a perfect excuse for our ignorance. Yet somehow, we overcame the deficits in our training, picking up in a clinical setting what we didn't learn in the classroom. lGram's Iodine sure is hard to get off one's hands' I We were pass fail in the pre clinical years, examined but not overtly graded It was a system that managed to alleviate some h h ve of the traditional medical school tensions but one t at may a led to less time spent studying than was needed In the third year, we received grades, grades often without meaning as pluses and minuses were dropped leaving a decelv ing sameness to most people s marks Of course luck, fate, per sonalities or whatever also had a part, as all too often average students received their A s and excellent students were crucified Something is wrong but to date no one has come up with a better system Besides, the truth is that twenty years from now it will make no difference, indeed, it makes no difference now except for a bruised ego non membership in AOA and perhaps a less prestigious, though not less educational, internship YW o XX? on X Ex KN .., if J 4 ,wx l 4,.,,..jL'ibfKX XX X x ullllx 3,58 - xyvscha: BUT Nor 5 A IN mr ieioillillllillml Wo FFSXION 0 3 room Pao YEARS Lolilmi SW OR sovroo 1 A oooioz Ao olfo,liEgf1j,3yvoo ioiievoxr worm soot ooo lil from Hs crooroo oooooolliillrlfog mn comcior wo oo on E ozmmroi moo Of ooo M ll 'if i ,.,, , 1 he is ow f' N l ' sf' c xgivgsfss X ,, , I cc, ,fig SQ. X . L2 1,4 or :,f+,Qs.s- r 'ina K 1 7 ,if i :zo . 1 ,- , l -- of , X 'ii l ' -Q-' -5 x 5 X X