Starting internship in the cardiac intensive care unit meant that I didn’t get to wear my shiny new white coat or carry the stacks of handbooks they handed us at orientation. Instead, I had my scrubs, my ID, my stethoscope, and my pager – and I was prepared for anything. Yet, there is no experience more harrowing than taking care of ten very sick patients in the unit during my first overnight call, and having my first admitted patient die the very next morning. His demise was not completely unexpected. He was a 400lb man transferred to us from an outside hospital on pressors and ventilator support with a 2-page poorly-handwritten note that might as well have been a big question mark sign. But it certainly didn’t do much for my morale walking home post-call that day, drenched in sweat after an hour of doing chest compressions, and having only eaten a slice of cold pizza over the prior 24hr period. After that first night, my diet has improved, though I still act like a fish out of water at times. My first 2 weeks of internship has certainly taught me tons, and I look forward to what lies in store in the months ahead.