Confessions of a Future Surgeon (Age 16) By: Anushka Bhatt

 

Confessions of a Future Surgeon (Age 16)”

By: Anushka Bhatt II Medical Career Dreams & Insecurity

Dear Diary,
Today in bio we dissected a frog and everyone gagged. I was the only one fascinated by how the muscles looked under the skin.

I want to be a surgeon. But sometimes I feel like a fraud for even thinking that.
I barely passed chem last semester. My hands shake when I’m nervous. I’m scared of failure.

But then I think of the OR lights. The scrubs. The breath-holding before a risky cut.
And it feels like electricity in my chest.

One day, I’ll be the one holding the scalpel.
One day, someone will trust me with their life.
That’s wild. But also… kind of beautiful.

Works Cited:

Association of American Medical Colleges. “Considering a Career in Medicine?” AAMC, 2024, https://students-residents.aamc.org/choosing-medical-career/considering-career-medicine.
Clance, Pauline Rose, and Suzanne Imes. “The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention.” Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, vol. 15, no. 3, 1978, pp. 241–247.
American Psychological Association. “What Is Impostor Syndrome?” APA, https://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2013/11/fraud.