It's hard to imagine a more stressful time to meet a potential mate than during an unforgiving stint at medical school. But this couple had the patience and perseverance to survive seven years of medical school, internship and residency.

Catherine McLaren and Jason Oliver of Kahala met when she was a student at the John A. Burns School of Medicine. Oliver, who had gone to Punahou with McLaren's medical school classmate Kaleo Ede, came to medical school parties and basketball games.

One night after a gathering, they found themselves the last couple on the dance floor.

Their relationship began to change. "We were serious from the beginning, but it developed at a slower pace because she was always so busy that we couldn't spend much time together," Oliver recalled.

When McLaren was offered a residency at Stanford, the couple decided to move to the Bay Area together. Oliver left his job as a counselor working with teens in crisis and moved with her.

It was a challenging time for them: Her work week during residency averaged 80 to 100 hours. She could barely make it through dinner before falling asleep. Oliver decided to get busy himself and took on three jobs, one counseling people with eating disorders at Stanford, another waiting tables and a third at Tower Records.

"It worked because we are both really independent people," Oliver said. "It wouldn't have worked if one of us needed the constant presence of the other."

They were able to keep things in perspective, knowing that life would not always be so hectic. Vacations spent together at Lake Tahoe or Yosemite National Park also helped to keep the relationship strong.

After six years together, they both decided it was time to think seriously about marriage. However the timing was just a little off. McLaren had her heart set on a Valentine's Day proposal. Oliver let Feb. 14, 2004, pass. In fact, to add insult to injury, "He gave me a carnation. Ugh. He didn't even give me a good flower. That got me really angry," McLaren said in mock horror.

Oliver had a better plan: "I wanted to propose to her right after my friend Kei Ando's wedding. We slipped out of the reception and went for a walk on the beach." There, under the stars, he presented McLaren with the ring he had been keeping a secret for three months.

The couple had a fairy-tale wedding at Central Union Church, with a reception at Mariposa in Neiman Marcus. Now she is an emergency-room physician at The Queen's Medical Center and he is a mental-health professional with a not-for-profit organization.

He is teaching her to surf and lift weights; she loves to take him running. In spite of crazy schedules, they find time for dates.

Reach Paula Rath at prath@honoluluadvertiser.com.