MSL — Medicine as a Second Language

Abstract

We were practicing in the nurses' room, with a few minutes to go before the big performance. My classmate Julie and I ran through our lines and critiqued each other. “You have the history and differential diagnosis down,” she said, “but you look half asleep. Sit up straight, for goodness' sake.” I nodded, trying to remember yet another thing. Then I gave her some advice: “Keep your enthusiasm,” I suggested, “but trim the `normocephalic, atraumatic' bit and the other overly detailed physical exam findings.”Curtain time. Costumed in our short white coats, we entered the conference room from stage right . . .