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My ob/gyn rotation ended on a Saturday night. After running errands on Sunday, I  stuffed my luggage and two doggies into my incredibly small 2-seater car and drove from New York to Baltimore, where my first residency interview was to take place. I spent the whole day Monday polishing up my curriculum vitae, practicing interview questions, and researching the program.

Monday night I was scheduled to have an “informal dinner” with the residents from the program. I was a little nervous, as I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. However, the evening ended up being quite enjoyable. I had a delicious meal, and got along with all of the residents quite well.

Tuesday morning I woke up when it was still dark to prepare for my interview day. After I put on my suit, I stared at myself in the mirror for a few minutes. I thought back to the last time I wore a suit.  It was for my interview to get into medical school. How very long ago that seemed! I suddenly realized how far I’d come in the past three years, and how much I’d learned. It was at that moment that I had a profound realization. I had been so caught up in the whole rigamarole involved with applying to residency programs, that I failed to realize the importance of what I was doing. I am applying for a JOB!  Someone actually wants to hire me to be a DOCTOR! It all of a sudden seemed very real, tangible, strange, and wonderful.

I think the interview day went well. I enjoyed meeting the program director, attendings, residents and interns. Everyone was incredibly nice and answered my questions quite thoroughly. I got plenty of free food and a nice tour of the hospital and clinic. I was actually surprised to realize how much I was interviewing them as much as they were interviewing me. I guess it didn’t occur to me until then that they were also trying to impress me. I think that made the whole day a lot more pleasurable and less nerve-wracking.

After the interview was finished, I thanked everyone and headed out to the parking lot to drive home.  I was happy, relaxed, and on top of the world. I sat in my car, put the key in the ignition, turned the key, and then….nothing! My battery was dead! I had began my drive to the hospital in the dark, but it was daylight by the time I arrived. I was so focused on the interview that I had forgotten to turn off my car’s headlights!

Luckily, my car has a manual transmission, and I have been in this type of pickle before. I knew that I could push my car until it reached a decent speed, then jump in, and “pop the clutch,” causing the car to start, even with a dead battery. However, it took me many tries before it actually worked. So, there I was, within view of the residency director’s office window, in my very professional business suit, pushing the bumper of my car, and then quickly hopping in the car as it rolled down the hills. I’m sure I looked quite funny in my suit, my hands covered with grime, pushing my car all around the parking lot. If any of my interviewers witnessed this debacle, I’m hoping they were able to see it from the same hilarious angle that I did