“Are you a real doctor?” asked my Significant Other after I failed to provide any information about the width of a common bile duct. On another occasion a friend asked about the development process of Plasmodium malariae. She wanted details, and the leftovers of my microbiology knowledge didn't impress her. Again I faced the comment about me not being a proper doctor (although nicely packaged in a humorous wrapping). If only these were the sole examples of it happening since I graduated. A failure to produce detailed answers to miscellaneous queries turns out to be a powerful eraser of six years of medical studies.
My favourite professor once said the purpose of studying is not to remember all the facts, but to remember which book to open when we need specific information later on in life. Sadly, when people quiz me in public about all the nitty-gritty medical stuff long forgotten, there are no books in sight.
I guess I should get a hand held device with all the medical knowledge stored in it and carry it everywhere. I might not know everything, but I would have a quick reference. “Let me confirm that information with my external memory,” I'll be able to say to my inquirers. Technology has always been a good screen between doctors and patients. It may even help me to be a proper doctor more often.