On my last rotation of third year in the L&D ward. The histrionic nurses have been receiving a deluge of free food and other treasures for nurses week/day/year, and someone comes by with a cart absolutely bursting at the seams with t-shirts of all sizes. They must know I yearn for free stuff like Gollum for the one ring because the nurse with the reddest hair says I can't have one.
They push the cart of polyester-blended delights right past me, almost within lunging distance, like Tantalus being denied fruit just out of reach. I'm not really surprised because it's not even the first time this year that I've been denied a free shirt.
I know that as med students we don't exactly produce a great value for the hospital, but we still do a bunch of Large-RVU stuff like hold retractors, stand with our hands grasped behind our backs, and mandatory 24 hour "call" shifts.
These Goodwill ahh shirts are probably made by kids in a sweatshop on the other side of the world but apparently they are so valuable that I can't have one. There are people walking around this town with scars that I gave them, either by cutting them open or sewing them shut, all for free.
Did you know that ancient Roman slaves were given free clothes? This is why it's so important to practice the Raccoon Mindset like me, where you take as many office supplies, trinkets, and Dr. Pepper minis as your grubby little mits can handle. I think this could be why scrubs have so many pockets? To hospital admins we are at-best an annoying nuisance that steals garbage.
And since they clearly let anyone make up special days like Nurses Day or Arbor Day, I declare tomorrow, Friday May 8th to be International Med Students Day. May you Eighth your exams! Just give us the fucking shirt.