We, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Class of 2026, accordingly make this oath to our patients, to science, to our communities, and to ourselves, today and for the rest of our lives.

-Yay!

[applause and cheering] [applause continues] ♪♪ So, how do you guys feel about the first week of class?

-Yes!

I'm studying this weekend, that's how we feel.

I don't think we were prepared for the volume.

-No.

I think that's what it is.

-It was a shock, yeah.

-College did not prepare me.

-Yeah, 'cause what we do in a day here, we did in like, a month there.

-How am I going to review all the lecs that we learn next week?

But also stay on top of myself for stuff we learned this week to be able to take the quiz on Friday?

-Mm-hmm.

-Yeah.

I am feeling a bit stressed about school.

I feel like I am just quite behind, even though it's been only a week.

The first quiz is this upcoming Friday, and I'm going to just tell myself, it'll be a learning experience.

'Cause I don't know what to expect, and if it goes horribly, I can come back from that.

So it's really easy to compare myself to other people, especially medical school -- everyone's so driven and motivated.

And it's really hard to just think I'm also driven and motivated and smart and I belong here.

Right now we're doing immunology, anatomy, and biochemistry, so it's just, like, juggling all the subjects.

It's just really easy to fall behind with how many lectures we have.

-[Lecturer] Not even as a physician in your case, as first-year medical students, it's like, this is, feels very overwhelming, this feels very challenging, and I hear you.

-Just... [crying] Just took my third exam.

I honestly don't think I'm going to pass.

[crying] I just feel so stupid constantly.

[crying] I feel like I don't know if I'm meant to be here.

♪♪ Through Dr. Nosal, I got to see more of family medicine, which I honestly really fell in love with because I like taking my time with people.

I like being able to fully understand them and see them.

And this is something where you just really focus on that connection with the patients.

-Hello?

-Hi.

-My name is Tiffany and I'm a first-year medical student and I'm just here today to talk to you a little bit more about what's been going on.

So I heard that you're here because you have had a heart failure.

Do you have any shortness of breath regularly?

-I just get tired a lot.

-I know, like, I'm asking you a lot of questions, so... -It's all right.

-Yeah.

I struggled a lot with school in the beginning.

Was feeling pretty stressed out and I was having a lot of doubts about medicine, too.

-Could you just breathe in for me every time I touch the stethoscope?

-Mm-hmm.

-Thank you.

-Am I really meant to be here?

Am I going to be a good doctor?

-I'm going to ask her to tell me a little bit about what you two talked about.

And then you'll tell me if she got it right.

And then anything else that we missed.

-[Tiffany] All right.

I think one of the most impactful clinical experiences I had this semester was I was in the E.R.

and I was talking to a patient for a while.

The conversation was going really well and this patient was getting much more comfortable opening up to me.

And then, at the end of the visit, I was like, "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

And he was like, "You're going to be a really good doctor."

And that was just, like, something that was really important to me.

I think that at that moment I realized, like, med school isn't just about becoming a doctor -- it's about becoming a good doctor.

And I want to be the best doctor that I can be.

It was nice meeting you, too.

Thank you.

-It was nice meeting you, too.

-Okay, there you go.

I'm checking my scores for exam three right now.

Oh my God.

Oh my God, I'm so scared.

♪♪ [gasps] Okay!

I passed- I passed immunology.

Oh my God.

I passed!

Yay!

♪♪