Hopeful

Abstract

The perspective of a first year medical student often involves uncertainty. It is a challenge to be thrown into a field as strenous as medicine, with terms and information being discussed which one may not have had any prior experience with. In this Reflection, a first year medical student from the University of Arizona, Tuscon College of Medicine discusses her chaotic feelings as she tried to navigate her first encounter with a patient while volunteering at a free women's healthcare clinic. Volunteering at this student-run clinic opened up doors which led her further into the world of uncertainty called medicine but also created an avenue for patient interaction and growth, allowing for the evolution of her perspective as both a naive medical student and an aspiring physician.