Encounter
by Gretchin Lair
I am never the same patient twice.
Even if you’ve seen my face
I have a different name and pain
each time we meet.
And you are never the same student:
even if I remember your smile
each week you have thrown yourself
a little further into the unknown,
building the bones of the bridge
you are running across
before it even touches
the other side.
I pretend I’m someone I’m not
so you can practice
the doctor you want to become.
When you knock on the door
the clock will begin
and this moment
becomes the future
the past and the present
all at once,
a beautiful gap
between who we are now
and who we will be
when you leave the room.
I am ready.
Students, you may begin.
Gretchin Lair works as a Standardized Patient at OHSU. An SP is an actor who performs in patient scenarios with medical students to offer feedback.