Stickers march up their arms
like a dozen bloodless cuts
Defiant white flags not
ready for surrender
“Your sticker please”
Some need a prompt each time
Lost in a transient fugue
Facts playing hide-and-seek
The stickers are mere paper,
black and white bar codes
with years of study crammed
between the parallel lines
Anxious they watch
Sigh
as the gum grips the sheet,
Seals their fate
A final spin and they’re all used up
The roulette drops the black ball
The candidates cash in their chips
A computer will calculate their fate
Footnotes
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Editor’s note: The LMCCQE II is the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part II, designed to assess the competence of candidates prior to entry into independent clinical practice.