To Gun or Not to Gun?

There is a certain type of person in medical school called gunners. They are an interesting group. It is full of overachievers who have to know everything and get a 100% on every test. Their natural habitat is in the library with their nose in a physiology book and going to every class. They very rarely leave campus and they never go out with friends. There is just too much to study and learn! Most medical students look down on gunners because they make everyone look bad, but secretly most students want to have as much knowledge as the gunners. There is no other medical student like the gunner.

I have never been labelled as one of the types of medical students you commonly see. The closest that I have come to is the prankster. It is true that I like to joke around and play practical jokes on people, but being the medical school prankster is more than that and I don't think I fit the bill. That leaves me with a personality that doesn't match up with the types of medical students, which I am completely fine with; I don't like falling into stereotypes.

You might ask, "why is he even talking about this then?" Well, that is a very good question. Recently, I have been labelled as a gunner. At first, I had a gut reaction of denying it and not wanting to be a gunner. I'm a prankster, remember? I can't be a gunner! Anything but a gunner! After yesterday, I've come to terms with being a gunner and will proudly accept the title with a few stipulations.

Yesterday, my histology group gave a presentation and most people in our class have been talking about how we are all gunners. They said that our presentation was one of the best given and that we were able to answer all of the questions asked with relatively few problems. I took pride in those statements. We all worked hard and we wanted to impress the doctor grading our presentation. All of our hard work paid off and the doctor said that we gave an excellent presentation.

If a gunner is about working hard, knowing the material, taking pride in your work, and doing well, then sign me up because I'm a gunner!