The Parking Garage

One of the perks of my new job is that I get to park in the physicians' garage. This may sound minor, but is a substantial benefit during the Phoenix summer. While initially exciting, it has proven to be an interesting insight into the sociology of doctors.

It is labeled "Physicians' Garage" and "Parking: Doctors Only." At first I thought, I'm a doctor. Sweet! I have finally reaped some reward from the eons of school and debt I have undergone. However, on further examination, the first three floors are "Parking: Doctors Only" with blue tape around the pillars. If you continue up to the 4th and 5th floors, there is red tape. I notice that my parking sticker is red.

What does this mean, you ask?

The first three floors are reserved for ATTENDING physicians only. They get a blue sticker. The resident physicians have a red sticker, and have to park on the 4th and 5th floors (the 5th is uncovered). So, the reward for completing medical school is a car that is equally roasting as the CNA's in the parking lot down the road, except I have to walk up five flights of stairs to get to mine. I pull in at 5 am, and wind up the garage past floors of empty spaces, and park in the crowded upper floor. The cars on the first floor are shiny, new, and mostly expensive. Undoubtably, they do not have a gas tank that is perptually one-third full. They have dark tinted windows, rendered irrelevant by the fact that their "covered parking" is actually fully covered. Later in the morning, the bottom floors become more full, and then empty again by the time I leave.

I have drawn a few conclusions from the sociologic observation of the physicians' garage:
1. I am not a doctor
2. I will become a doctor after residency
3. At this time I will
a) have more money
b) sleep more
c) be able to touch the steering wheel with my entire hand instead of two fingertips
d) said steering wheel will be attached to a choice car that will not be running on fumes
e) and generally have a better quality of life overall

I look forward to parking on the bottom floor of the doctors garage.