I can't really be friends with the staff at the hospitals because they see me as someone to look up to, not someone to party with.

That's really just not true. The hang up is in your head... not to mention you are a medical student, they don't look up to you.

The residents, nurses, and MAs would all grab drinks on occasion during my last rotation.

I agree that 3rd year is a bit isolating, and I would be screwed without my lady to talk to every night, but use this time to branch out and explore.

True story: A few years before medical school, I was living in a city across the country from where I grew up. I knew some people at work, but no one I would ever enjoy hanging out with. I decided to go to this random motorcycle hangout one night. I started bullshitting with this dude, maybe 40, he had on dirty jeans and some work boots, looked like he worked construction or something. We ended up hanging out and grabbing drinks every week or two; talking about life, motorcycles, music, and every random topic under the sun. My friends at home thought it was weird as hell that I was hanging out with this guy. Turns out he had no family bc he was orphaned at 17, his wife was just diagnosed with breast cancer and he needed someone to talk to. 6-7 months go by, his wife had surgery, she's feeling better and he invites me to his house for dinner. The dude lives in a freaking mansion. He made crazy .com money and still walked around like a regular Joe. While I was helping him fix some odds and ends in his house, then engine in my truck blew. He paid for all of the repairs... as a thank you for everything.

We don't talk as frequently as we used to since I've been in medical school, but the moral of that wall of text is to just put yourself out there and meet people. Who knows what could happen...