Back to the Beginning
by Sarah Epstein
I remember sitting on the couch in our Miami apartment, looking out the window and thinking, there is so much I wish I had known.
It was 2014, and my fiancé Brian was three years into medical school and I was between jobs. I was struggling.
I started to think about all the unexpected challenges of dating a medical student. I began jotting down a list of conversations we’d struggled to have, feelings I’d struggled to articulate, and the many unanticipated obstacles that medical school created. I started interviewing other medical students’ significant others about their experiences, a process that taught me about tough choices and made me feel less alone. I scoured Amazon for relevant books and the Internet for academic research about medical school and relationships.
Armed with data, stories, and my own experiences, I began to write. What began as a five-page e-book grew in scale into a full-fledged book, and now, three years later, Love in the time of medical school: Build a happy, healthy relationship with a medical student is done and available for purchase. I need a nap.
I wrote this book because I wish somebody had walked me through the mechanics and structure of medical school while detailing what stressors were likely to emerge and when. I wrote this book because Brian and I had to use trial and error to develop communication patterns that insulated our relationship from the effects of having very little time together.
I wrote this book because I remember wanting somebody to tell me that they understood the guilt I felt for wanting Brian’s attention when he needed to study for an exam. I wrote this book because I needed help processing the anger I felt toward medical school, the loneliness of waiting at home for my boyfriend, and the confusing grief I felt about the aspects of normal life I gave up to marry a future doctor.
I wrote the book I wish I’d had during medical school. It is both in-depth and an easy read and I hope it will ease your journey.
Sarah Epstein is the #1 Amazon bestselling author of Love in the time of medical school, a book that helps medical school couples build happier, healthier relationships. She also blogs about medicine and dating at DatingMed.com.