The Storm Before The Calm

During my preceptorship, the opportunity to take part in a benefit musical production came up. The road to its fruition was nothing short of demanding. The faster everybody raced against the clock to showtime, the harder it was to tell between excitement and chaos. Tension was filling to the brim. Luckily, things eventually fell into place, and the matinee was a roaring success. But the gala was a different story. In the middle of the second show, an all-too-familiar deafening siren started to resonate. Phones began to ring, and people started to walk out. A tsunami warning had been raised, and an evacuation was being enforced. There was no other choice but to cancel.

Hours passed, but no danger reached the shores. But the damage had been done. The lingering disappointment of what should, could, and would have been was unmistakable. This storm was no different from where I stood when I started my journey to getting matched.

My name is Jonathan Lazaro. While many know me by Jorel, I am but one of the many faces who have gone through the Hawaii Preceptorship Program. I too have always aspired for the proverbial American Dream. However, unlike most, I graduated from a rival medical school, the University of the Philippines. Although I was an unlikely candidate and a first for the group, I am no stranger to the Titans' alma mater. Both my parents are alumni of UST, while my uncle Dionie is a proud Titan himself.

Armed with a degree that I painstakingly earned one sleepless night after the other, from a school with a reputation that precedes its graduates, I embarked on a road I thought I was ready for. And was I wrong. What I thought I understood was only the tip of the iceberg, and what I thought I had mastered was just the surface of a bottomless ocean. I obtained less than average credentials to secure a match. Was I disappointed? I felt humiliated. Did I underestimate the exams? Maybe, I’m not sure. Only one thing was certain. All that I have worked for was about to be washed away. My storm had arrived.

I was in denial. But just when I was about to let go, the tides of fate seemed to have turned. I learned from my Uncle Dionie about an opportunity in Hawaii that could change my life. Despite my shortcomings, I was accepted into the preceptorship. I quickly packed my bags even though I had reservations. After all, I had no family in Hawaii and was entering known “UST territory.” Yet I chose to seize the moment – with a prayer on one hand and guts on the other.

Game-changing. This is what the preceptorship is all about. Nothing could have prepared me for its intensity. Only a fellow preceptee could fully fathom the depth and commitment needed to survive it. But would I have it any other way? Never. I was transformed by the team of preceptors from a hopeless young boy reaching for the impossible to a man competent and fully capable of holding his ground. From the fine prints of medicine to every trivial aspect of interviewing, no detail was spared. I learned to take each criticism in stride and treasure every word of encouragement. True enough, with only less than a handful of interviews and every ounce of knowledge I gained, I matched with my first choice.

For the first time since I embarked on this voyage, I am finally in the calm. Like the musical that went dark but still ended up as a
smash, everything worked out for the best. The real journey is only about to begin. Even though the waters will remain unpredictable, I know there is one thing I can always rely on – the calm that comes after the storm.