On Saturday I had the day off and went apple picking with our friend Hannah at Patterson Fruit Farms. When I came back to work the next morning at UH, I had an odd sensation of not knowing what had been going on with the patients I’ve been following. Tests had been ordered, decisions made, patients had gotten better or developed new problems, all while I had spent the day frolicking in the sunshine and eating apple cider donuts.
Third year of medical school is a strange time. Technically, we are accountable for patient well being. if We’re good students if we know everything about our patients and can make a good plan for their diagnosis and treatment. We can consult other teams and outside hospitals to gather information. However, we can’t submit orders for labs to be drawn or medications to be given, and never have final say. So in reality we walk a limbo between Internship and Advanced Shadowing. This means that we’re allowed to learn as much as we can without true responsibility.
The only difference between the day before I graduate and the day after I graduate are the letters that will appear behind my name. But suddenly the responsibilities will be real. So what of my intern year, less than two years from now? I’ll be in charge of a list of patients and expected to make some clinical decisions on my own. When I get a day off, will I spend it worrying about what’s happening to people I otherwise tend to every day?
On a lighter note, clinical hour restrictions did not apply to the making of this apple butter. I was on 24-hour call for the process, and it involved schlepping the crock pot to the resident’s lounge at the hospital and stirring every couple of hours while I was working. Totally worth it — this butter is thick, creamy, and deeply flavored. Hope you can try it!
Ingredients
- 11 small to medium apples, peeled and coarsely chopped (I used Gala, picked from Patterson’s fruit farms)
- Brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup, you might have to use more if you use apples that are less sweet.
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
