Step One
Jason Paluzzi
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| | Jason Paluzzi| |  | | | Year in Medical School: 3rd Place of Birth:
Prinecton, NJ Where You Grew Up:
Trenton, NJ College: The Johns Hopkins University Major(s) in College: Biology, Music, Creative Writing Goals: Enjoy it. Personal Philosophy on Life: "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Sometimes, it rains. Think about that for awhile." - Nuke Laloosh Favorite Quote: "Don't play like me. Play like you." - Eric Clapton
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“So, what’s your strategy?” we ask among
Ourselves. We are tomorrow’s caretakers,
The young guns, young blood, future egos and shakers
In medicine. We are type-A, high strung
Caffeine addicts, committed, planning out
The test we center our careers about;
Step one. “I’m thinking fourteen hours a day,”
One of us says. “Practice questions and more
Practice questions.” “I’m taking classes for
It in Chicago.” “I’m stocking books. That way,
I’ll have some souvenirs.” For six weeks, we
Must sift through each disease ascetically,
And there are pages of them…countless pages
Of morbidities; the birth defects,
Genetic faults, denatured enzymes, insects
And bacteria, neoplastic stages,
Acquired errors of metabolism,
Heart attacks, cerebral aneurisms,
Degenerative aging, cytochrome
Induced toxicities, pneumonia, smoke
From cigarettes, autoimmunity, strokes,
And every -itis, -ism, -osis and syndrome.
It’s never-ending, and a wonder why,
At any given time, we do not die.
Each illness is a test. Like any test,
Everyone has their gimmicks. Cinnamon
May lower serum glucose levels in
Diabetics, and studies show repressed
LDL and higher HDL
With extra extra-virgin olive oil.
The antioxidants in fruit and wine
Might foster long-term memory. But still,
You can’t pass every test. Do what you will;
There is no study plan. We walk the line
Of futile questions by consistency
In guessing right. So, what’s your strategy?
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