The Boy with the Blue Backpack

Olivia: Welcome to Medical Careers Magazine, Dr Sean. Let's talk about your early days in medicine. When you finished your specialist training in Boston, what happened on your very first day at the children's clinic?
Sean: I walked into the ward at 8 AM, and I was extremely nervous. My profile as a new pediatrician didn't prepare me for a ten-year-old boy who hid under a chair and refused to let anyone examine him. He was terrified of needles and cried loudly.
Olivia: That sounds challenging. How did you handle it? Did you ask questions immediately?
Sean: Not at all. I sat on the floor next to him, opened my lab bag, and showed him a funny comic book. I explained what we needed to do very simply, and I listened to his silly jokes for ten minutes. Slowly, he calmed down and let me check his temperature.
Olivia: Did he recover well from his illness?
Sean: He got better by the weekend and went home with a smile. But the best part happened last year. A new nurse arrived on our ward, and he walked up to me with a big grin. He showed me an old blue backpack and said he was that scared boy from ten years ago.
Olivia: That is an incredible story! You must have been so proud of him.
Sean: I was. It's moments like that which make all the hard work worthwhile.

Read again and choose the right answer

Where did Sean complete his specialist training?

• Boston
• London
• Seattle

What did the young boy hide under?

• A bed
• A chair
• A table

How did Sean help the boy calm down?

• By giving him medicine
• By showing him a comic book
• By calling his parents

What did the boy become years later?

• A pharmacist
• A doctor
• A nurse

Sources: photo by Los Muertos Crew on Pexels