My oath, my pledge, me

To care, to be compassionate,

when you’re called, to treat, to heal,

You can’t afford to wait

You put your all,

your life, your heart into that one moment,

your whole self, your soul

And that alone, is a test you take as a doctor

You pass or fail

With every single patient encounter,

Not the years you went to school

For degrees, grades, diplomas are just a number

Nothing matters but that one second of need,

That defines who you are, what you’re here for,

For that is YOU, until the very end

-Pallavi Aneja MD