the den of lions

Today as part of my Special Studies Module in Clinical Neurology, I had to attend a Neurology Department meeting. This takes place everyday Wednesday afternoon, whereby junior doctors training in this branch of medicine have to present a patient case to the senior- I’m going to make you regret the day you decided to study medicine- consultants. So the Junior House Officer (JHO) presented the case as eloquently as possible, trying desperately to mask the nervousness that was brewing deep within.
At the end, there were several questions posed by the consultants, actually it was more like a firing squad and the JHO was target practise. In their archetypal contultants' pose (i.e. clad in high power suits, arms folded and head tilted down at an angle that gives off the optical illusion that they’re all the way ‘up there’ looking down at we who have not yet reached the heights of their glory…yeah) they sit and listen to the JHO’s answers and subsequently they reciprocate with appropriate responses i.e. nodding, a lot of ‘hmmmm’s, small chuckles bordering on sarcastic scoffs, and they might throw in a sigh or two …you know for variation .
I guess its part of the job description.
In 2+ years time, it’s going to be me in that den of lions. As I am plagued by terminal stage fright, my public performances were rather short-lived, and I shudder at the thought of having to stand up in front of all these Grand Lords of the medical profession. My puny excuse for medical knowledge will make for an interesting expose and the only question they’ll be wanting an answer to is “How the dickens did you manage to get this far?”
(complete with the 'Oxfordian' diction and all)
Hahaha, truth be told, that is something that mystifies me to this day.
So yeah besides the fact that there will be an inevitable face-off with the powers that be in the not so distant future, life’s grand and I’m loving every minute of being a medical student,affectionately known to senior staff as Space Occupying Lesions.