I Hate Hate HATE Feet
The powers that be (or, if you prefer, the Power that be’s) have a funny sense of humor. Take medical student who thinks feet are totally disgusting, and sign him right up for Podiatry clinic. Ambulatory Medicine clerkship, we are not getting off … on the right foot. (Pun intended.)
Last month, on Geriatrics, I had a diabetic patient in clinic, so I took off his socks, only to have little flakes of foot skin (eczema? xerosis?) fly up into the air and be inhaled by yours truly. From now on, I’m just asking the patients to take their own damn foot apparel off.
If it’s anything, medicine is damn humbling.
After I took my MCAT’s, I got all these letters from Podiatry schools trying to recruit me to apply to their schools. I CAN’T STAND FEET EITHER! I thought that by going to med school, I would never have to deal with feet again, but now that I’m a year and a half into residency, I realize I see so many nasty feet all the time, particularly at the VA hospital, where there are some nasty diabetic feet there. Anyway, just wanted to say that I understand. Also, as a tip, always wear gloves and if things are really stinky, put on a mask — it also prevents those little flecks of skin from flying in your face.
–walter cheng MD
Resident, Internal Medicine
Stanford University