Patch Adams

Ashly and Patch Clowing For a Photo 

My Experience with Patch Adams: We Miss Opportunities Only because We Choose Not to Create Them

By: Ashley Mayer

I am only one person and like most students in the medical field I chose this path because I want to make a difference in the lives of so many.  I am passionate about the human existence and I question what more I can do as a service to everyone around me.  So I begin my four year journey of class, clinic, and studying, all of which seem to run together; grasping the basics of the human existence, trying to wrap my head around the fundamentals of how our bodies create energy through biochemistry, and understanding concepts of why and how pathologies inhibit our ability to function.  I am confused most often; so many courses, so many exams, so little time.

I find I am still hungry to learn more.  I envision my future as a physician, dreaming of what it will be like to see the smile on a child’s face as they leave my office, so I push on.   Life is spent memorizing the flow of physical assessment, untangling the knots of differential diagnosis, and often I am worried I’ll leave something out while visiting with a patient, or worse yet the scolding from a supervisor.