body to slide into disuse. But he still hits the gym. “You see reasons why you should live to the fullest,” he says of his work at the hospital. Khorsand decided he was going into medicine in middle school. His mom’s an operating room nurse. His older sister’s a first-year anesthesia student at UW. “My dad’s a mechanical engineer,” he says. “All of his siblings are in medicine, so he’s always been the black sheep in the family.” He and his wife met in honors calculus on Khorsand’s first day of college at the University of Washington, where he would eventually get his undergrad degree in biochemistry. The two got engaged two months after beginning medical school and were married last March. It’s been a life, for the most part, of reasoned, dispassionate decision-making. Khorsand knows exactly what he wants to do. Sort of. “That’s a tough question,” he says when asked what type of doctor he wants to be. “Honestly, I’ve loved everything that I’ve done, so it’s going to be a tough choice.” He’s been through his intensive-care unit, radiology, family medicine, internal medicine and obstetrics rotations. There’s still surgery, pediatrics and psychiatry left. How about a top three? “Hmmm. Top three. Let’s see here,” he says. “I’m going to have to say undecided.”
T
here is one moment during his time in Spokane, however, that has stuck with him like no other. “Getting to deliver a baby,” he says. “[The doctor and I] had done a few together. He was talking me through it, quizzed me beforehand. … I caught the baby. It was totally awesome.” It’s a moment that shows how close these students are to actually being doctors — even if the “real” doctor was right over his shoulder. He says it’s an opportunity he might not have gotten in Seattle, where students are competing with residents and fellows to have the opportunity to deliver a baby. “[There] you’re the low man on the totem pole,” he says. “You won’t really get as intensive experiences with exposure to the depth and breadth of medicine that you would out here, which I think is a huge strength of the program.” Khorsand still has a few years to go before practicing on his own, and he has no idea where he and his wife will land. But you never know. Maybe he’ll treat the baby he delivered as she grows from child to adult. n
20% off any Spa or Salon services. A sanctuary of rejuvenation and repose… Mondays - Thursdays a necessary indulgence.
until May 31, 2013.
Not combinable with other specials or promotions. Not applicable to products.
Complimentary valet parking with services. ARated glass Among of champagne included services. the Finest Spas inwith the World. - Forbes Travel Guide
davenportspa.com • 509 789 7300 Located in the historic •Davenport Hotel 7300 davenportspa.com 509 789 APRIL-MaY, 2013
INH_PEOPLE_04_13.indd 43
Health 43 3/26/13 12:49 PM