Stethoscope Progression

Through sickly sweet fumes of vaporized solder, the diode changed from red to green. The Bluetooth chip had connected, and I could hear it. Lub-Dub, Lub-Dub. S1 and S2. It’s alive! My digital stethoscope was working. “Metal Fume Fever” may sound like a KISS song, but it’s a real thing. I know because I had it after soldering circuit boards for hours in the evenings after my cardiology rotation. Reflecting on the skills required to create a working digital stethoscope, I owe a debt of gratitude to those who raised me. A simple upbringing taught me the value of hard work. As the youngest, my brothers encouraged new ideas and my parents the discussion on ways to improve them. I am thankful for the work ethic, communication skills and ingenuity required to be an excellent doctor and radiologist.
I was voted “Most Likely to Live in The Library” in medical school. Thanks in part to the coldest Kentucky winter in recent memory, there is real truth to that. My apartment flooded from a frozen water pipe. Maybe a serious enough problem to derail others from their studies, I barely noticed. Aside from sleeping at my desk and showering in the lockers for a few weeks, little changed. I continued to study for hours upon hours. Late nights a point of pride, new skills learned the tangible reward. Second year pathology was the first time I realized I could be great. I earned the highest score on the first block exam. In time I began to expect excellence. Like many other applicants, I did well because I didn’t think of it as work. The prosaic adage that loving what you do means you never work certainly might help, but the radiologist task of a prompt and accurate diagnosis will always be an exhausting and intricate job. I believe I’m at my best when challenged, and my focus and work ethic will serve me well in this