* Rare *

One of the rarest things that you can get during your internship is a compliment.

In fact, it is so rare that at times, you actually forget that it exists...until you get one. Then, you remember that such a thing is real.

Yes, I am being dramatic.

But, dramatic was how I felt when I received a compliment from one of the specialists during when I was working in the O&G clinic.

I hate working in the clinic, I really do. So, everytime I am assigned to the clinic, I will go there reluctantly and with heavy steps. Why do I hate the clinic? Because the clinic is the place where you cannot, and do not know how to, decide.

In the clinic, you see the patients, clerk their history, send them to the scan room and then...ask your MO what to do next. Seriously.

So, anyway, this one day, I was assigned to the clinic for the umpteenth time. I went there. I got a file. I went around the rooms...and I cannot find an empty chair. All the rooms were full.

I passed in front of one of the specialists, and he asked me, "What are you doing?" I answered, "Sorry, doctor, I'm looking for an empty space..." Then, he stood up and said, "Come. Sit here." I was really shocked and I said no, it's okay. But, he insisted.

He told me, "You are doing a good job. Sit here."

I know it was a very simple sentence. But, that one simple sentence, really really made my day. He reminded me why I force myself to wake up every morning. He was actually telling me that I matter. And, that, means an awful lot to an intern.

During those times when you yourself feel that you do not matter, you just need someone to tap your shoulder, reminding you that you exist for a reason.