It’s Christmas Eve 2008, and I’m spending it on the 10th floor of the Shapiro Center watching over two floors of cardiology patients while looking out at the quiet blanket of snow over Jamaica Plains. It’s not how I would normally envision spending Christmas Eve. But after an entire month of juggling clinical duties in the day with studying for Step III at night, it was a relief that the exam is finally over. The USMLE Step III occurs over two days. Mine took place within the confines of a drab office building just 5 minutes from my apartment. Much of it felt more like a reading test, as each question tries to throw you off with paragraphs of unnecessary information and extraneous red herrings. Sadly, I had little time to celebrate after it was over, as I was back at the hospital for holiday coverage the very next morning. But even as I sit in my call room, answering the string of pages, I feel a sense of relief as I take on my role as a normal intern again.