My weekend

Friday night I drove up to my parents house and got to spend some time with my parents, my sister and sweet little Gaston.

He kept sneaking into "Papa Lou's office" to try and play with the computer and Papa Lou!

Saturday afternoon I headed to my (college) friend Jessie's house. I got to spend the afternoon and evening with Abbie, Jessie, their husbands and little Campbell Grace. Isn't she beautiful?

Abbie and Jessie are two of my best college friends and we only get to see each other a few times a year so it was great to catch up.

Saturday afternoon Drew was post call and he decided to take Sunday off since he has not taken a single day off at this second away rotation. Drew took the train out to my parents so we were able to spend Sunday with my parents, sisters and my neighbors.

I have been researching SLRs (digital cameras) for about six months now and while I was hanging out with Abbie she informed me that Nikon D40s were on clearance at Target. I had been originally looking at Canons but they are significantly more expensive and after talking to Conrad (Abbie's husband) I realized that as an amateur photographer I wouldn't be able to notice/appreciate the additional features (of the Canon I was looking at).

Sunday morning I started calling around to all the local Targets. They had one Nikon D40 several towns over. So Drew and I hopped in the car to go buy it. When I got there I saw that they also had a package deal in which an extra (55-200mm) lens was only $80 more - this lens is $200 when sold separately. Unfortunately the Target we were at did not have the package deal in stock. The Target we were at told us that another store 15 miles away had it in stock. We drove there only to find out they didn't. Luckily they called a third store and had them confirm that they did in fact have the package deal in stock. Finally after driving around 30 miles we found the package deal and purchased it. Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to me! Although the camera wasn't exactly in the budget it was such a good deal we couldn't pass it up. The package deal was $499 (for the Nikon D40; 5-55mm lens; 55-200mm lens; camera case and 2GB memory card). It would have cost me nearly a thousand dollars to get the canon camera and two lenses.

(Below is a picture with the new camera - compare the lighting and clarity to the photos above).

After playing with it, I must say I am very happy with my big purchase. Below are some of the photos I took on my walk tonight.

My precious nephew Gaston is now 18 months old and isn't walking. He was a little slow with the whole crawling thing but is otherwise developmentally normal (actually advanced for his speech) so we weren't worried. Although my sister has been wondering when he was going to start walking. For the past month or two the little cutie has been pulling himself up and moving from one piece of furniture to another and would walk with the help of holding someone's hand. He hasn't been able to walk on his own though... or so we thought.
On Friday we let him play with my mom's little vacuum (it was a shark or dust buster) and he seemed to be able to walk while pushing it. We also noticed that he could stand still and lift it up (without holding on to anything).
So Saturday morning my Dad tried a little experiment with Gaston. Here it is documented on tape.....

Turns out the little stinker can walk (he just has been too stubborn to try/learn). Also notice how he realizes that we are tricking him into walking!

I hope to post more about my wonderful weekend tomorrow!

So these last few days/weeks have been rough. So tonight I thought I would bring back Thankful Thursday... because I do have a lot to be thankful for:

• My family and friends are in good health
• Tomorrow night I get to see my precious frenchy nephew who I haven't seen in several months, and he is now talking up a storm (both french and english) and I cannot wait to hear him babble!
• This weekend I get to see two of my best friends from college and their hubbies (and one very precious little baby girl!)
• So far Drew has gotten 5 interviews and only 1 rejection
• Only 8 more days then I will get A FULL WEEK with Drew (before he heads to his third and final away rotation)
• My wonderful Mom - she took a list of all 42 programs and the potential interview dates and is trying to make a calendar so that we can maximize the number of interviews we are offered (if we are given a choice of dates).
• My great job
• 8 more days.... that seriously needs to be mentioned twice

Thank you all for all your support, encouragement and prayers, it means so much!

My shelf

Do you have a shelf, box, case, or bookshelf where you put things that are important to you? I do. I have a shelf that I put my most precious items on. In fact they go in a box, and I tie that box with a bow, and then I put them on the shelf. This shelf is very important in my life and it is necessary for my sanity. I know that my most precious items are safe when they are on that shelf. But I have some what of a problem. I take my stuff off the shelf and take them out of the box and I lose them (and my head).
This has been a big issue lately. Our future is one of those precious things that belongs in the box. With all of this applying to residency programs my mind has been consumed with the match process. Its something that I have no control over. But I cannot control myself, my mind is constantly drifting to the what-ifs of our future. And all this worrying has led to no good. I have had stomach problems in the past but they seem to have resurfaced. But part of me believes they are somewhat self-inflicted (or worsened) by the fact that I have become consumed by this whole process. But as I've already said, it is all out of my control. And it is no use worrying over things that may never happen. So tonight I am again putting all my worries, and thoughts about our future back in that precious box. I am tying it with a bow. And then I am placing it up on that high shelf. On that shelf it is in God's hands. I will let go, and trust in Him. All things are safe in His hands.
It is only a matter of time before I take it off the shelf again, but I suppose that is only part of being human. Thank goodness I have family and friends to constantly remind me to refocus, reevaluate, re-anchor and put the box where it belongs. On my shelf. Because I don't have control. And worrying won't help me gain any control.

Two more!

Drew was offered another interview invitation today. For family and friends who would like to know where, please email me and I will send you an invitation to view our Private Match Blog.

So far we have three interviews scheduled, but I've heard that there are a total of 7 programs offering interviews right now (6 of which we applied to) ... hopefully this is only the beginning of the interview offers because based on statistics we need to interview at at least 15 programs to have a change at matching!

Days 8 and 9

As Monday was Labor Day, the hospital did rounds later at 7 a.m. like they do on Saturdays (and possibly Sundays?) - this meant Drew got to "sleep in." He got there a little after six, and being that there were no surgeries there wasn't much to do. Much to my surprise he was done by 1:30 p.m. allowing for an afternoon off for Drew. He took some time to go running - something he hasn't had much time to do - and get to bed early.
Day 8 = 7 hours

On Tuesday the hospital resumed their 6 a.m. rounds. As far as I know Drew got to see a few surgeries and was off by 6:30 p.m.
Day 9 = 13 hours

Unfortunately I haven't had much time to ask Drew what he is doing or what types of surgeries he has seen. Most of the time we talk our conversations are brief and have been limited to "how is your day going" and talking about bills and or his ERAS application. Hopefully I can find out more about this program and give you slightly more interesting posts next week. For an update on yesterday's vent see below.

My "S" List

Is short. And right now, Drew's school is on it.

Last week Drew submitted his portion of his residency application through ERAS. There are various parts of this application. These parts include:

• Photo of applicant
• Profile
• CAF (which I think stands for "Candidate Application Form")
• Personal statement
• Four letters of recommendation
• USMLE transcript (test scores)
• MSPE ("Medical Student's Performance Evaluation" aka Dean's letter)
• School transcript

As the student Drew is responsible for the profile, the CAF, and personal statement. The USMLE transcript is uploaded by the USMLE and the remaining parts of the application must be uploaded by the applicant's school. So far Drew's school has only uploaded one of his four letters of recommendation... nothing else. Granted they cannot upload the letters they don't have (and they may not have all four yet) and none of the schools can upload the MSPE until October, but they still should be able to upload his transcript, his photo and his school transcript! Neurosurgery used to be part of early match (meaning match occurred in January rather March and therefore everything happened much earlier), and many of the schools are still on an early schedule. Four programs have already started offering interviews (we applied to three of those, but have only heard from one). And, I know I am being a little neurotic, considering it is only September 8th, but I know part of me is a little justified considering that I have spoken to people at other programs where their schools have submitted all the the parts to their application. Drew emailed the school last week to see if there is anything we could do to get them to upload the necessary parts and we still haven't heard back.

Okay, and that is only the half of it.

Today, I got home from work and went to check the mail. What do I find? A letter from a collection agency. Saying that we owe over $300 dollars for Drew's medical bills. I find this pretty interesting considering that we haven't even gotten a single bill, prior to this collection agency notice. Back in June when Drew was on his away rotation we did get a notice saying that he needed to fill out a claim form for insurance coverage and while he did not do it on time initially (because he was gone) he did call the school, filled out the form and got it cleared up. Or so we thought. When he had spoken to the person from student insurance they said that we would receive a bill for whatever wasn't covered by insurance. But, no bill ever came. Just a notice from collections today. And from what I understand, I don't think medical companies are allowed to even submit a bill to collections if insurance is still pending. So needless to say the collection agency is going to get a nice response "disputing the debt in writing" as the letter requests. And Drew's school and/or the hospital where the medical bill came from may also be getting an earful tomorrow!

Update as of September 9, 2009 - a friend of Drew's told us that student transcripts are not scheduled to be uploaded until mid-October so that the school can add elective grades but that if he wanted we could request to have it uploaded sooner. Drew emailed the appropriate person and his school transcript was uploaded by this afternoon!

In reference to the medical bill I drafted a letter to the collection agency (and cc'd the medical center and student insurance) letting them know that we never received a bill or a notice of coverage or denial of coverage.

Sub-Internship II - Week 1

So last Monday Drew started his second sub-Internship. He has a much longer commute for this one, and has already expressed the importance of living close to the hospital once we are in residency. His current commute is about 45 minutes (even at 4:30 a.m.) which means he wakes up at 3:30 every morning!
On his first day he didn't start until 8:00 a.m. and was done by 5:00 p.m.
Day 1 = 9 hours
A big difference between this sub-Internship and his sub-Internship last month is that he does not see patients prior to rounds in the morning. As I explained in a post last month, at the last program he was assigned to several patients and went to see them each morning (by himself) and then went with the residents and chiefs to see the patients and he would explain the status of the patients he saw. Well at this program he doesn't see any of his patients on his own. He simply does rounds with the residents. Since he doesn't have to see patients prior to rounds his day technically starts a little later with rounds at 6:00 a.m. (At the last program he tried to arrive by at least 5:00 a.m. so that he was done seeing his patients prior to rounds at 5:45 a.m.). Although Drew doesn't have to be there prior to rounds, he said that he has still been arriving closer to 5:00 or 5:15 a.m. so that he can see if the residents need any help with anything. On Tuesday Drew was done by 8:30 p.m.
Day 2 = 15.5 hours
On Wednesday, Drew took call so he was at the hospital until 8:30 p.m. on Thursday night.
Days 3 and 4 = 39.5 hours
On Friday Drew was done by 7:30 p.m.
Day 5 = 14.5 hours
On Saturday, rounds are later (7:00 a.m.) and that night Drew took call. Fortunately, it was a very quiet night and Drew had time to work on a case report that he is putting together for a doctor from his last sub-Intership and he even had time to get plenty of sleep. He was done by 10:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Days 6 and 7 = 28.5
The pace is a little different at this second program, and it is a little more laid back. Drew seems to really like the residents at this second program as well. He is also working with two other medical students on this rotation. Both of them are women - which are fairly rare among neurosurgery (I want to say that more than 90% of neurosurgeons are male). One of the women was on her fourth week last week, but the other woman started at the same time as Drew and will be there for the same four weeks. He seems to get along with both of them pretty well. Thank goodness these women (like the student he worked with at the last program) seem to be serious, but not so competitive that they would throw Drew under the bus. Some medical students (and even residents) are trying to make such a good impression that they are willing (or even hoping) to burn the competition in the process.
This first week Drew didn't get to do too much (mostly observed) but we'll see if that changes at all being that he didn't do much his first week last month either.

First Interview Invitation!

I could hardly believe it when my phone started buzzing and ringing today. I looked to Drew's email and it said that he had an email from ERAS. My hands were shaking as I went to check the email and try to reply and accept the invitation!
Although we were hoping for an interview from this program (because Drew is doing a sub-I there next month) we were not expecting an invitation already. I replied to the program coordinator and asked if it would be possible to interview during his sub-Internship - and if not his first choice would be to interview in November. I got a prompt response letting me know that he could interview in October while he was there. Although Drew has housing while he is there they still offered to book him a hotel - this program is one of the few that actually arranges and pays for your hotel accommodations!
I should also explain that I have Drew's school email forwarded to my phone so that I can respond to any interview invitations. This is because with his sub-Is this month and next month he will most likely be in surgery when the invitations come in via email. Some programs send out (for example) 15 invites when they really only have 10 time slots. This means that only the first ten to respond will actually get the interview.
Luckily neurosurgery is one of the more organized programs and 95% of the programs have actually posted their interview dates (this is not the case with all specialties). With this information I used Google Calendar to enter all of the potential interview dates... then we will use the calendar to try and schedule the interviews as they come in. Right now many of the interviews conflict with each other but I imagine things will manage to work out as we would be lucky to be invited to half the programs we applied to; therefore I imagine by process of elimination it will be pretty easy to schedule interviews.
I hope this is just the first of many more interview invitations... but we'll just have to wait and see!

Brief Update

Okay this will have to be brief because I am tired and would like to get some rest but its been a while so I thought I would try and update.

Last week Drew finished up the last week of his first sub-Inter ship. It was pretty similar to his third week other than the fact that he was done on Friday at 4:00p.m.

Since he was in between sub-Is, I went to visit him this weekend and we finalized his personal statement and worked on the application. (I will update about the weekend later). Overall I feel really good about his personal statement. I owe that mostly to the help of another surgeon's wife who has been an absolute angel - she has given us so much advice! I cannot even imagine how much more difficult this process would have been without her words of experience and help.

The way residency applications work is that you submit all your information (personal info, experience, letters of recommendation, transcripts, test scores, personal statement etc.) through ERAS and they submit your application to the programs you wish to apply to. Yesterday was September 1st; the first day to submit your application (you have ERAS send it to the programs). Although most program applications are not due until October 1 or November 1, but with more competitive programs (ENT, radiology, derm, plastics, neurosurgery) it is very important to submit your application as soon as possible. So yesterday we did It. We submitted over 40 applications to programs in the following states: Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Florida, Texas, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, California, District of Columbia, and Kentucky. The number of programs is so high because 1) most programs only accept 1-2 residents a year and 2) neurosurgery has a 60% match rate. For now I am just going to sit back and wait to see if interview invitations start rolling in, in the next few weeks/months.

I'll try to update on Drew's second sub-Internship later this week!

Crazy Mess

Tomorrow is the first day you can submit residency applications... and for competitive purposes it is kind of important that we get our application in. Unfortunately it is 10:00 p.m. and now I am beginning to question every word and phrase on his application. Gosh this is nervewracking! I am a giant ball of nerves... lets hope I can get some sleep tonight!

What I've Been Up To

It is hard to believe that we are already in the fourth (and final week) of sub-internship #1. Although it has been difficult it has already gone by pretty quickly. I think that part of that can be attributed to the fact that I have been keeping myself quite busy. I've been taking more time for work, and working out and have also been baking and doing a bit of organizing. These things seem to keep me busy every week night and surprisingly, I have been so busy that I've even been up past my usual bedtime most nights! Two weeks ago I made this delicious and healthy Zucchini Spice Cake but I must admit mine didn't look as pretty as Gina's!

And I think maybe I added too much vanilla because my frosting was a little runny.

Although it didn't look picture perfect I still think it was a DELICIOUS spice cake! Last week I made a nectarine and blueberry crisp. I will try and post the recipe in the future.

Some less fun things I've done are: killed a few bugs (gross I know!); taken out the trash; and I tried my hand at ironing (all ordinarily "husband jobs."). Although I am managing while Drew is gone he will definitely resume these duties upon his return. I am absolutely horrible at ironing. I often make more wrinkles than I iron out! Unfortunately, pant suits look funny without that pleat in the front, but for now I am just trying my best until my master iron-er returns! (Seriously, he unusually, fabulous at ironing!)

I still haven't mastered the whole sleeping alone thing though. I am still falling asleep on the couch and then moving to the bed when I wake up in the middle of the night. This is something I really need to get past. But it won't be tonight. Maybe next week?

Week 3, Days 18-21

Thursday night Drew was on call, and I am not sure how much sleep he got, but he did get off by 5:00 p.m on Friday.
Days 18-19 = 36 hours
With getting out early Friday and having Saturday off, Drew was able to go out with his sister and some friends Friday night. I think this was a well deserved break for him. Saturday he went running, and did some research for his presentation.
Day 20 = Off
Then today (Sunday) Drew returned to the hospital for a relatively light day. He started at 5:00 a.m. and was done by 3:30 p.m. This allowed him plenty of time to finish up the finishing touches on his presentation tomorrow.
Day 21 = 10.5 hours
Overall - a pretty light week!
Unfortunately I don't have much to report - other than that Drew said there was someone famous at the hospital this week. Drew didn't see the person but he saw the patient's name some where.
This upcoming week is Drew's final week at this hospital. Then it is on to rotation #2!
It is also hard to believe that August is coming to a close! September 1, marks the first day of submitting residency application!

Week 3, Days 15-17

Drew is officially half way through his third week. On Monday he got to go to clinic with the head of the neurosurgery department. This was the first time he got to spend an extensive period of time with the chair. Drew really likes him. He described him as hard on his residents but also their biggest advocate. There tends to be somewhat of a stereotype with neurosurgeons that they are odd, antisocial, arrogant and difficult to talk to, but the chair at this program is none of these things. He is both brilliant but down to earth and easy to talk to. Drew got along with him really well and learned a lot while working with him.
Drew was on call Monday night and got about an hour of sleep. On Tuesday he got to scrub in with the chair on a surgery with a patient that he had seen in clinic on Monday. Again I don't know what the surgery was, but it was supposedly a "really cool case" and Drew really enjoyed it. Drew was done on Tuesday by 7:00 p.m.. We tried to talk when he was done for the day but as soon as he got home he wanted to eat, and as soon as he ate, he wanted to head to bed.
Days 15-16 = 38 hours
Today (Wednesday) Drew was in clinic again. He was done by 7:00 p.m. again tonight but because he wasn't on call last night he had quite a bit more energy. We were actually able to talk for a little while and he seems to finally be really enjoying himself. He enjoyed it before, but was a little too disoriented to be excited about the surgeries he was seeing. We both think that his next two away rotations are going to be much easier because he won't have an adjustment period and will be able to jump right in tot he crazy hours! Its hard to believe he only has a week and a half left at this program!
Day 17 = 14 hours

My weekend in Pictures

Saturday morning my Mom and I headed over to my Aunts house where I got to see my cousins and their two little cuties. (Here is Sophie).

And I got to meet baby Connor for the first time!
Then we picked Drew up from the train. And headed to my hometown favorite, "The Freeze" so that Drew could get a well deserved cotton candy blizzard
Drew and I then took a nap (he was on call the night before). And we headed out to a late dinner with my wonderful parents. I also figured out how to use the timer on my camera, which allowed for this picture to be taken....

On Sunday our friends (Elizabeth and the Craigens) came over. Here is a picture of my beautiful Goddaughter (just after she had fallen asleep in my arms!)

It was a wonderful weekend filled with just a few of my favorite people!

Life is good!

Week 2, Days 9-13

The rest of week two is all lumped together because I really didn't hear much about Drew's week until Saturday.
Tuesday began at the usual time (a little before 5:00 a.m.) but after rounds, rather than watching surgery all day, he decided to go to clinic. In clinic he saw patients who were either scheduled for upcoming surgery or were recovery from a recent surgery. Then Tuesday night Drew was on call. Wednesday when he was post call, they decided to start a surgery late in the day and it didn't go as smoothly and quickly as planned so he was there until 9:30 p.m. By the time Drew got home he was ravaging and got off the phone with me so he could eat. After he finished eating he called me to tell me he was exhausted and asked if I would mind if he went to sleep. This explains why we haven't had much time to talk.
Days 9 -10 = 40.5 hours

Thursday was a refreshingly short day. He started at the usual time, just before 5:00 a.m. and was done by 6:30 p.m. Drew was quite excited to be done early but spent most of the evening studying and researching a presentation topic before heading to bed. Before the end of this rotation he will have to make a presentation to the residents and attendings, and I believe it will factor into his overall evaluation.
Day 11 = 13.5 hours

Friday Drew started at the usual time and was on call that night. There was a fourth year medical student who goes to the school there and was volunteering for the night (often times if you want to match at your home program you will volunteer on nights and weekends to help make sure you match there). The residents said that Drew could go home if he wanted to because they had the other student's help, but he opted not to, and stayed. I guess they had a really interesting case that night. A patient came in that had fallen down the stairs. He had some sub-cranial bleeding (don't quote me on this I am repeating it from memory). He was responsive/alert when he arrived at the hospital but the scan showed bleeding in his brain. While he was there he became non-responsive and they had to rush him to the operating room. Saturday Drew was post call and done by 11:30 a.m.
Days 12-13 = 30.5

So while Drew and I did not have plans to see each other until the end of this first away rotation (I wanted him to sleep and study during his time off) we did see each other this weekend. I have missed him like crazy and really have not had much time to talk with him. The majority of our communication is via text message and includes encouraging words alongs with "miss you's" and "love you's". So when the opportunity arose we decided to meet up for the weekend. As soon as we picked him up from the train I started asking him tons of questions. Here are a few things that I learned . . .
Things are not the most organized (but not necessarily disorganized) in the sense that there isn't anywhere that Drew is really supposed to be. His first two weeks were cranial focused and his last two weeks will be spine focused. But this focus more pertains to what patients he will see on rounds in the morning, it doesn't really have anything to do with what surgeries he sees everyday. Also he has the option of watching surgeries or going to clinic. They don't assign him to one or the other, he can just pick. I think this is somewhat of an adjustment for Drew because he doesn't really know where he should be and is just trying his best to help out as much as possible without getting in the way. Unlike in medical school where they told him what he could do, here he is trying to anticipate what he should do, and is constantly asking what he can do to help.
He has seen quite a lot of surgeries as the hospital he is at has an extremely high volume of patients. A few of the surgeries he has seen are: tumors (both benign and malignant), aneurysms, cranial bleeding, spinal fusions and scoliosis. (I'm sure he has seen others as well, but that is all I can remember. )
The first week was quite an adjustment for Drew in that he experienced extreme exhaustion and hunger, but he seems to have turned the corner this week. He says that he is still extremely tired when his alarm goes off every morning at a little after three (and at times has wanted to throw/destroy his alarm) but by the time he is on his way to the hospital he is already thinking about what he will get to do/see that day, and how he can improve. He is kept so busy during the day he doesn't seem to have time to feel or think about being tired. To me, the thought of functioning on this schedule seems insane, but he seems to think that all of the residents are extremely well adjusted to the schedule and says that they rarely appear tired. I imagine that must be the case, as many residents in all specialties manage to function in high pressure situations on little sleep for several years during residency - I suppose your body has no choice but to adjust.
As for me I feel much better after having seen Drew, and now knowing that he is doing well, I'm hoping that being apart will only get easier from here on out. I'll post more about this weekend later this week!

Funny Stuff

I wish I would have found this website earlier, there is some pretty funny medical school merchandise. My favorite is the: pitty me, my husband is in medical school - if we were a little earlier on in the journey I think I would buy the coffee mug. It put a smile on my face this morning!

Week 2 - Day 8

Not too much to report for this Monday. Drew started before 5:00 a.m. and was done early and out of the hospital by 6:30... most surgeries were cancelled for internal reasons so it was mostly a quiet day.
Day 8 = 13.5 hours

As for me I am trying to keep busy and stay distracted. So far, so good. I am going to make a list of "goals" or things I want to accomplish before he comes home. Nothing major just odds and ends that I should be able to do with a little more time on my hands. For example I am trying to work out at least 3-4 times a week (instead of 2-3), and I want to clean out the pantry and so on.
Tonight I tried ironing. Its something that Drew normally does, but now that he is gone I suppose I need to learn. After all, my pleated dress pants just don't look right without the pleat down the front of the legs. My clothes do not look as good as when Drew irons them, but lets hope they look better than if I had not ironed them at all.
This weekend was a little lonely but I did have a few visitors to distract me. My friends (the Keiblers) were on their way down to St. Louis (I noticed Abbie's facebook status) and turns out that I texted them just in time for them to stop for a little potty break, and feeding break Campbell. (Who I haven't since for five months when she was just a month old!). Then on Saturday night I babysat Kaiden so his Mommy and Daddy could celebrate their anniversary (if you recall his Daddy has been serving in Afghanistan, and just got home). Then tomorrow Celia (dear friend from law school) and Joe are stopping by tomorrow night on their way down to Lake of the Ozarks. Thank goodness for good friends and family - I'll be counting on them to keep me busy for the next three months! Week 1 down, less than 11 weeks to go!

Days 4-6

Days four through six (Thursday-Saturday) are lumped together because they pretty much were one long endless day for Drew. He went in a little before 5 a.m. and although he was not on call Thursday night there was a really neat surgery, so he decided to stay. By the time he got out of surgery it was nearly 11:00 p.m. At that point he left the hospital briefly to run out and purchase some deodorant and a toothbrush. He decided it was easier just to spend the night rather than travel back home since he had to be back in a few hours anyways. Then Friday was another busy call night in which he only got about 2 hours of sleep. Saturday he was post call, and finally left around 12:30 p.m. when he told the Resident he was pretty much at the end of his rope. Hopefully they won't look down on him for that but he had been there since Thursday morning, and was exhausted and hungry. He hadn't eaten in nearly 24 hours and had only gotten about 7 hours of sleep the past two nights combined (neither of which I imagine are out of the ordinary for a surgical resident - they just learn to adjust and handle it after a while).
For those of you who don't know my husband he is kind of a neat/clean freak. And I'm not complaining because I would rather him be obsessively clean than, dirty! Anyways in the three days that he was in the hospital (and we couldn't really communicate), all I could think about was how he was probably going crazy wearing the same clothes for three days straight. Drew is the kinda guy who would shower several times a day if he could, and will never wear a shirt more than once even if he only had it on for 5 minutes. Although it means a lot of laundry for me, I guess its good for patients... I mean who wants a dirty doctor? Anyways, somehow he managed to survive but once he got off on Saturday he made sure to let me know that he needed to get off the phone so that he could promptly shower and eat! I finally heard from him around 7:30 p.m. when he woke up from his "nap."
He was fortunate to have all of Sunday off so that he could rest, study and refresh for week number two. He is planning on bringing more snacks and powerbars this week so that he can eat whenever he has a free minute. I'm hoping he is feeling a little bit more comfortable and adjusted to the hours and schedule, now that he has survived his first week.
Days 4, 5, and 6 = 55.5 hours*
*There is no limit of maximum hours per week for students because they are learning, not working, and they are there of their own free will.

Day 2 and 3

Morning rounds (where they see all the patients with the chief resident) begin at 5:45 a.m. Prior to rounds all of the other residents and medical students have to do their own "rounding" to see the patients so that when they go on rounds they can give the chief resident a quick update on the patient's status. At this first program Drew has about 9 patients. This is significantly more than he is used to having with his medical school (3 or 4). More patients also means that he has to start earlier in order to see all of his patients before rounds at 5:45. I'm not sure what time this means he has to get up, but he tried to get to the hospital by 4:30 a.m. so that he'd have at least an hour to go see all nine of his patients. (I think) during rounds each resident/student presents his patients (their updates, status, etc.) to the chief resident. Drew said that the hospital's format for presenting their cases is different than he is used to and therefore he needs to work on it.
After morning rounds on Tuesday, Drew got to watch (but didn't get to scrub in on because there wasn't enough room) a "very cool surgery." I didn't get any more information than that because our phone calls are extremely brief and I am lucky I even got that much detail out of him. All I know is that the surgery lasted - eight hours. Yes, eight hours. It must have been a very complex surgery, but I seriously cannot imagine standing still, not eating, not drinking, and not going to the bathroom for eight hours!
Surprisingly enough Drew said that the residents and attendings don't ask him very many questions. We were both expecting that he would get quizzed a lot, but so far, not so much. I don't know much more about Tuesday and Wednesday (day 2 and 3) other than the fact that he was on call for Tuesday night. He said he got about 2 and a half hours of sleep. He was done on Wednesday at about 7:00 p.m. and was home and in bed by a little after 8 p.m.
When I asked him about the food, he said that he hadn't even eaten food from the cafeteria yet. The only thing he bought was a water. He has been too busy to eat much. I guess it is good I sent him with all those snacks, because he should be able to fit them in his pockets and eat them when he has a free minute. I'm glad to hear that he is keeping busy, because a very important part of sub-Internships is making sure that he can keep up with the pace. If he is lazy, sits or simply doesn't keep up with the residents it isn't looked upon very well.
So far, so good. It's only a few days in, but he seems to be enjoying himself.
Day 2 and 3 = 38.5 hours

Away rotation #1, Day 1

Drew's first day of his first away rotation started off well. He got to the hospital at 7:00 for his 7:30 a.m. orientation. He got his ID badge and met with the chief resident and did some other orientation-like things.* There is one other student doing the away rotation with him and so far they seem to get along - Drew said he was a pretty quiet guy.
Sometime in the afternoon he got to go into the O.R. to watch a surgery. He left his white coat outside the operating room in the surgical area. When he got out of surgery he looked in his wallet (which he had left in his white coat) to find that all his cash and his subway/el card were gone! When he got done for the day (around 7:00 p.m.) he called to tell me about the "theft." He was upset and kept apologizing - although I was really ticked off, it wasn't at him.
My first thought was that a patient stole from him but he explained that where he left his white coat was supposed to be a "safe" area because it was a surgical hallway - the only patients in that area are unconscious or strapped to a gurney. Which means that (I can only assume) another student/resident/nurse stole from him! How awful is that?! At least they left his credit cards (although I keep checking online to make sure there are no charges). I guess the theif needed the money more than we did, and I do believe that what goes around, comes around. And I keep reminding myself - its only money.
With Drew's el card gone he then had to decide between taking a cab back to his sister apartment or buying a new el card. (So much for all that money I tried to save by sending him with snacks... I guess it went toward buying a second montly el pass). After purchasing his new pass Drew got home only to find that his key didn't work! He waited outside for an hour until his sister got home. Although he didn't really complain (other than to say he was ticked off about the theft) I know he had a rough first day... the good news is that he did seem to enjoy the hospital and the program.
Day 1 = 11.5 hour day
*Please note that I only get a few minutes to talk to if and when he calls so my summaries will tend to have some gaps.

Away Rotation #1

Drew left on Sunday for his first away rotation (which started Monday).
(Drew boarding the train)
With the expectation of having high expenses for residency applications (fees, plane tickets, gas, hotel rooms, etc.) we are trying to save money wherever we can. For Drew's first two away rotations he is able to stay with his sister - this is obviously saving us quite a bit of money. I spoke with another MS4 wife whose husband just finished up an away rotation at this program to try and get an idea about this first rotation. She said that her hubby pretty much was at the hospital all the time and therefore ate three meals there most days. Being the penny pincher that I am I thought it would be a good idea to send Drew with a whole bunch of easy meals and pre-packaged snacks. We purchased canned ravioli, mac n cheese, and individually wrapped snacks like power bars, cracker, chips, pop tarts and breakfast bars. Although I am sure he will still eat at the hospital a lot I hope he won't have to use the vending machines and can minimize his meals at the hospital - but who knows I might be being totally unrealistic.
Tomorrow I'll update on how on how Day 1 went...

Last Hoo-rah!

Last Wednesday Drew and I went to the Cardinals game with two of our good medical school friends Andrea and Ryan.

It was our last end of summer "event" due to the fact that Drew will be gone the months of August, September and October for away-rotations. It was a great night and a great last summer outing together!

I'm not looking forward to fall or winter weather, but the summer just won't be the same without Drew!

Step II - Clinical Knowledge

done! Drew took it last Wednesday (so as long as God-willing, he passed) he is officially done with all big medical school exams. (He might have a few for his clerkships this year but nothing major). We went out that night to celebrate the big milestone. Overall Drew said he felt like he did the best he could have. He felt more confident in his answers than he did on Step I, but based on the reasoning the questions still could have gone another way. So we'll just have to wait and see - it should be about four weeks before we get the results.

Tomorrow is the big day...

Drew takes Step II (Clinical Knowledge) tomorrow, Wednesday July 29th - wish him luck, or better yet please say a prayer if you think of it! He has been studying hard so I'm just hoping and praying that he does his best. I'm sure he'll do fine but it is still a little nerve wracking (who am I to talk though - I am not taking the test) because he needs to do reasonably well... it would look bad if his score (as compared to Step I) dropped significantly. So here is to trusting God and hoping that Drew performs as well as he needs to in order to match wherever we are meant to be (and to asking God for enough peace and understanding and peace to accept wherever that may be). May His will be done.

Step II - Clinical Skills

Check. Drew completed the first part of Step Two (the clinical skills portion) Tuesday, in Chicago. For those of you taking it next year, there are only five clinical skills test locations, nationwide. The other (written) portion (clinical knowledge) of the exam can be taken at the same locations that Step One is offered. Drew will be taking that portion of the exam next Wednesday (again prayers are very much appreciated it). The clinical skills portion is pass/fail, and he feels pretty good about it, so we're hoping he passed. From my understanding he "saw" 12 different patients (15 minutes each) and then had time (10 minutes) to do write-ups on the patients.
Here was the schedule: he saw 5 patients in the morning. Then they fed them lunch over a half hour break. Then he saw 4 more patients and got a fifteen minute break and finished up with the final three patients. I think he was finished around three-ish in the afternoon.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Step II is expensive. I don't know off hand exactly how much it is (I need to have my husband look up the credit card bill, but he is too busy studying for the clinical knowledge portion of the test), but I'll be sure to post the cost in the future. We took out a special loan to pay for it, and luckily with the clinical skills portion being in Chicago we were able to save some money because he didn't have to fly and he was able to stay with his sister.

In other news my darling Drew has also started his personal statement for his residency application. This seems to be a daunting task. I had to do something similar in applying for law school and it was absolutely dreadful. Having the option to write anything is often more difficult than being assigned a topic. From what I have heard...

1. They don't read too much into the personal statement.
2. It is more read to make sure that you can write competently.
3. Generally it doesn't help you but it can hurt you (meaning if it is terrible or you say the wrong thing).

Any residents, doctors or spouses want to confirm/deny any of these rumors I've heard?

The beginning of Test Season

I'm marking today as the start of "test season." Drew left for Chicago for the clinical skills portion of Step II. They only offer this part of the test in five locations all around the country. Fortunately, Chicago is one of those locations so that we don't have to pay for plane tickets or hotel rooms! He is actually taking the clinical skills portion on Tuesday - so if you think of it sometime before then please say a prayer for him. This portion of the exam is pass/fail. Drew should be back Tuesday night which will give him Wednesday to unwind and study for senior CCX which is both Friday and Saturday. Senior CCX is similar to the clinical skills portion of Step II, but it is for medical school. Then next Wednesday, Drew will take the written portion of Step II, this portion of the exam is a little more important because it isn't pass/fail and the score he receives will be looked at when he is applying to residency programs. So needless to say, with all these tests coming up, we'd greatly appreciate all your prayers!

Appellate Court

So one of the many reasons work has been quite busy this week is because I was preparing for my very first argument in appellate court. I've written two or three appellate briefs (I know, its terrible that I can't remember exactly how many, but I honestly lose track of the different cases I have worked on), but before this week I had never actually argued in front of the appellate court. I was scared, but I knew it was not something I could pass up when my boss asked me if I wanted to argue this case. It is not that I didn't want the opportunity, but I was terrified of subjecting myself to a panel of appellate justices.
In appellate court each side has 20 minutes to argue their case, but during that twenty minutes you have to be prepared to be interrupted, questioned, and argued with. (In my case the justices actually took a full hour in questions us). It is considered the justices job to attack your argument, and conceding on an issue or providing the wrong answer can cause your argument (and entire case) to crumble and fail. And while it is important to answer every question the justices poses, it is also crucial to stay on track and not allow their questions to cause you to stray from the issues at hand or prevent you from getting your point across.
One thing that one of the partners has taught me is that the difference between winning and losing, is often, how you frame the issue. Therefore, in my argument before the appellate court it was crucial that I stressed the right points and didn't allow the appellee's irrelevant arguments derail or distract from the point of our appeal - which was that the prior decision was arbitrary.
Much to my surprise the argument went really well (especially considering my limited experience). If I haven't mentioned already, I represented the appellant (person appealing the decision), and for that reason I expected to be eaten alive. The person appealing hasthe burden (to prove that the prior decision was wrong) and therefore the court will generally attack all your arguments and be harder on you. Fortunately, that wasn't the case for me, I think the justices were actually harder on the appellee - which was good for me and my case.
I was scared to death, and am honestly still in shock that I was able to stand there and clearly, cohesively, give favorable responses to every question they threw my way. It was like my adrenaline took over and I just calmly and naturally answered each question with confidence. (I can't help but feel that God was present, because it went so ridiculously smooth and so much better than I had expected).
I know most people assume that attorneys are good at arguing and quick thinking - but honestly, I never had these skills (naturally). But after this week I realize that these are skills that I am learning and developing - and that, is such a great feeling!
As to whether we will win - it is still a long shot - my boss told me that only about 20% of these decisions are reversed. Although it would be an extra bonus to win this case simply because I am a "first year attorney" who "knows nothing."

Making a list

So we started the first step of applying to residency - and for us that was making a list. A list of all the programs we want to apply to. Since we expect the process to be quite competitive, Drew set a target of applying to around 30 programs (in order to increase his odds of matching). First we considered all the programs where we currently have friends and family. Next we looked at the remaining programs all over the country and thought "do we really want to live here?" This allowed us to eliminate the programs that were in locations that we could never imagine ourselves living - for example, Wyoming (no offense). We also looked at certain programs in which we decided - "No, I wouldn't ordinarily want to live in Timbucktoo, but I would live there if you got into program X." And through that very scientific process we were able to come up with our list of roughly 30 programs.

Brief Update

Just checking in after another fantastic weekend with family and friends. I finally feel like I can really unpack because I don't have any plans to travel until the end of next month! How unusual that we will have consecutive weekends at home?! Unfortunately, it is going to be a crazy busy week at work so I don't know when I will have time to update on our great weekend and Drew's fourth year (so-far)... but hopefully it will be soon!

New Year

The "Medical Year" begins every year on July 1st. People joke that you never want to get sick/hospitalized at the beginning of July - this is because July is when the medical graduates officially become residents, and the former residents become attendings... so lots of people are new at their jobs! This July 1st Drew finished the last of his third year exams and officially became a fourth year medical student! He is in his final year of medical school and we are in our final year of acquiring student debt! Woo hoo! Drew also got his "pin" (log-in and password) for applying to residency programs. This means that he can start putting together his applications even though they can't actually be submitted until September 1st. It is crazy to think that this is the beginning of the whole application process - from what I've heard this year is going to fly by! Only 254 days till "Match Day" and 319 days until graduation - but believe it or not, I'm in no rush... I'm happy right where we are.
So although it is a bit late,
Congrats to those of you in medicine (or those of you supportive spouses) for surviving another year of the very long training process - and Good luck in this new year!

Another fun and busy weekend

This past weekend Drew's cousin got married. A few weeks ago I offered to help with the odds and ends on the day of (kind of like a day-of coordinator). I was hoping that I could give the bride some peace of mind and help things move smoothly on her big day. (I figured I know how to help since I have been married and have been in quite a few weddings so I know what things need to get done). So on Thursday night when we were at the rehearsal I introduced myself to the church coordinator and told her I would be helping out and asked if there was anything I could do. Her response was "Oh your the wedding coordinator, great! Just follow me around and I'll tell you what you have to do." I tried to explain that I was just a friend helping out, but for some reason from then on I was dubbed as the wedding coordinator. It was quite funny actually. Some of the bride's family and friends really thought I was a wedding coordinator! (People were asking me if it was my job, and asking whether or not I was available for hire). Although it was a very busy day, I had lots of fun being part of the action! The beautiful bride

Mr. and Mrs.

Saturday was a day of recovery - we lounged around at the newlywed's house and ate leftover wedding cake before heading to my parents house that night.

Sunday morning Drew and I woke up early for another big event - Olivia's Baptism! (Olivia is one of my best friend's -since elementary school- baby girl.) I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but I was asked (and am honored) to be one of Olivia's sponsors/Godmother.

Olivia - wearing the same dress her Mommy was baptised in!

Afterwards we went to Olivia's Grandparent's for a lovely luncheon and enjoyed the Crystal Lake Independance Day parade.

Livie and I at the Parade

Unfortunately I didn't get much sleep this weekend and am totally and completely exhausted. So I'll be trying to get to bed early this week!

We have a visitor tonight...

Isn't he cute? I think he looks like a cabbage patch kid. He is staying the night tonight while his Mommy gets some rest. She is a single mother for another month until her husband gets home from Afghanistan. Okay, I have to get back to snuggling this cutie!

Being apart

As I mentioned yesterday, Drew and I had been living apart for the past four weeks. Now it wasn't something that I particularly enjoyed, I realize that it was a good experience for us. It made me realize a few things, and also reminded me very much of before we were married when we would live for the weekends, to be together.
The first week apart I must admit I had a hard time adjusting. First of all he was gone and I missed him. Second of all, almost every time I called he was busy and he needed to call me back. I took this personally and would get really annoyed and almost angry. (I don't think he realized this). It took me a few days to realize that it was not his fault that he was in the middle of something when I called, and that it wasn't going to always work out that we were available to talk at the same time. Once I got over that I was able to enjoy our short phone calls rather than be resentful that he didn't pick up the phone the first time I called.
It was also an adjustment because I had expected we would talk on the phone for longer periods when we did. But I think we are both out of the habit of long phone conversations. For the most part we had quick conversations that were short and sweet, exchanging casualties,the "I love yous," and that was it. (I also think that my train of thought is so random and sporadic that when I actually spoke to him I forgot if there was anything important to say.) It sounds terrible, but we really hardly connected during the week. But then on the weekends when we saw each other we found ourselves talking non-stop filling each other in about our everyday details and the mundane stuff that just seemed silly to talk about over the phone. We also found ourselves really appreciating each other's company on the weekends. The time apart made me really focus on giving him all my attention when we were actually together. (For example I tried not to blog or facebook on the weekends).
I'm going to try and take these things and put them in my memory bank for when he has his away rotations later this year, and for when he starts residency next year. Realistically I know these four weeks were nothing (we saw each other every weekend), and that there will be times next year when I will be lucky to see him (awake) a few days a month (even though we will be living under the same roof). So, I think it is important to remember these feelings I have now and realize that I can either be resentful about the time apart or the inconvenience of it, or I can choose to consciously make an effort to appreciate and make the most of the time we do have together.
I do realize I will likely still have hard weeks and months (or even years) during residency, but for now I am going to remember how much I missed my husband the past four weeks. I seriously am treasuring every moment I have with him, and it has reminded me just how much I love him and spending every moment with him (and its also nice to have him back because he is quite the grill master and irons all my clothes) ;)

Perfect weekend

Drew came home Friday. He's been gone the past few weeks on his family medicine rotation. At his school they like you to return to your home town to do family medicine. Surprisingly the four weeks went by fast, it also helped that we were able to see each other every weekend. I had been looking forward to staying home this weekend, and was not disappointed. I think this is only the second weekend we've been home since March, and we really needed it. As much as I love seeing family and friends, the constant travel can be exhausting.
Saturday morning we woke up, had breakfast, and headed to the pool (our first time this summer). We relaxed, Drew studied for his family medicine exams (which will be the next three days) and I got caught up on my magazines. After a few hours of baking in the sun we had lunch and headed out for errands. I know this sounds silly, but it felt so good, to have nothing to do, and no where to be. We got our library cards, and walked downtown and grabbed some ice cream at Del's. After running our errands we came back and parked ourselves on the couch. I napped while Drew watched the Cubs game. This is something we used to do all the time, when we first started dating, but we are often too busy to do now. I know it is lazy but I seriously loved those Saturday when he would watch the game and I would take a nap with my head in his lap. We had a relaxing dinner and just hung out for the rest of the night. Today was similar but I did get a few things done (cleaned, grocery shopped and went to church) and ended the evening with nice stroll outside. We walked through a relatively new subdivision and "oohed" and "ahhed" at the beautiful homes (and talked about how someday we would have a home of our own).
This weekend was so simple, yet so wonderful. I can honestly say I feel refreshed and (as ready as I will ever be) to return to work tomorrow. It is also fabulous to have my husband home. Oh, how I missed him!

Three for three

Drew got accepted to his third Sub-I rotation! We are very excited! Although I know it is going to be ridiculously time consuming and labor intense for Drew to do three straight months (well technically 12 out of 13 straight weeks) of away rotations, it will be a great opportunity for him. He will get some great experience and hopefully get a taste of what his next 6-8 years will be like. It will also give him the opportunity to make a good impression at these institutions and possibly make a name/reputation for himself.
I am a bit worried about the crazy long hours that he will be subjected to, but I also know that it is silly to worry because this is only for twelve weeks... and realistically he will have long and intense hours for many years to come. So he might as well get used to it now because he will have to adjust sooner or later! After all he wants to be a surgeon, and along with that comes a rigorous work schedule and long hours.
So tonight I am praising God for another piece of good news - and also praying that the next 10 months are filled with more answered prayers!

Absurd

Since I am still a relatively new attorney and am still learning I still submit everything (big/important) to a partner for their review/feedback before I file it in court. Recently I have realized just how far I have come in the last year because most of my pleadings/briefs come back with only a few (if any) modifications and suggestions.
So last week I was working on one of my favorite cases and after the partner reviewed it he told me that I needed to omit the word "absurd." I had said something along the lines of "Respondent's argument is absurd." (And it is). Earl told me that I couldn't leave that in because it was a personal attack, and that I shouldn't stoop to the level of the other lawyer (he had earlier written something about my "in artful pleading." He did say that I could use illogical and contradictory - but absurd, was crossing the line. I omitted that adjective and didn't think about it again... until the next day, when I got opposing counsel's brief. After skimming through his brief I quickly noticed that he stated that my argument was "patently absurd." I had to laugh - and tell Earl - he insists that I am the better lawyer for being above it all. I have to agree that it is not my argument, but his argument that is absurd...but we'll let the Judge decide.

Laughable...

So I was checking my email this morning when I found a very random email in my inbox. It was not my work email account but the email account I use associated with this blog - and this blog alone. And for those of you who use gmail you know that you get very little spam... so I can only assume that this person found my email through my blog. So I open this email from an unfamiliar person and the contents of the email were as follows:

Hi Marissa,
My name is Jane Doe. I am contacting you because it is likely you may need the services that my new personal assistant firm offers. Company Name is a local venture and we're launching this month! We can provide almost anything you can imagine, including:

• Errand Running
• Personal Shopping
• Appointment Setting
• Travel Arrangements
• Booking Reservations
• Event Planning
• Household Management
• Bookkeeping

Please visit our website for more information. www.somewebsite.com. Thank you for taking the time to read this email, I am certain you are very busy. We hope to hear from you and thank you for supporting our local business.
Jane Doe*

Sure I am busy. Sure I'd love a personal assistant. But come on. Ha ha! Seriously? I can barely afford to pay my rent, do you really think I'd be able to pay for someone to do my grocery shopping. Ha ha! I'm sorry but I find this particularly laughable. I checked out the business website for the heck of it and the business is certainly not local to me. So I could be wrong but I assume that the person who sent it did so because a) I am a lawyer and/or b) because I am married to a medical student. It so aggravates me when people assume we have money because of these things. The only thing we have are loans, and more loans. Lots of them. And although I am an attorney, I make an extremely modest salary which is enough to pay the rent, insurance, grocery bills and medical bills, and therefore it is enough (especially in this economy). Anyways, the email made me laugh...anyone else get a similar email?
*Names and information omitted because I refuse to promote a business that randomly emailed me

Being an adult

There are certain things about being an adult that are uncomfortable, awkward or just not fun. For example wakes and funerals. Tonight I went to a wake (visitation) for one of my bosses' father-in-law. Death is always a hard thing but when your an adult you are forced to deal with it more often. As a child you don't have to really go to wakes or funerals unless it is someone your related to. When your an adult you are expected to go to these things for people you never knew. I totally understand that it is for the people that are left behind more than anything else, but it still doesn't make it an easy thing to do. Tonight I went solo and it was not something I was looking forward to - but it was something that I knew was "appropriate," and I wanted to do it to show support for my boss and his wonderful wife.

Going alone I had no one one to talk to or to ask what the proper thing to do was. For example I didn't know if I was supposed to go through the whole line or skip straight to my boss? And I had no idea what to say? I tried not to show my awkwardness and act normal as I introduced myself to about 10 family members before I finally got to my boss. And it's so hard, I am so new to "adult" things like this - I didn't know what to say other than "I'm Marissa, I work for Ed, I am so sorry for your family's loss..." It would have been nice to have Drew along, as it always is easier to do difficult or new things when he is by my side, but he wasn't able to join me. I guess I need to start getting used to doing some difficult things by myself as he isn't going to always be around (particularly in residency). And I know that doing things alone will only make me a stronger and better woman.

Residency Match

So my main experience with being married to a medical spouse is that for the most part, I had no idea what I was in for. Year by year it seems like I don't know whats going on until we get there. And as a planner, I hate not knowing what is going on. I spend much of my time trying to find out what happens next. For that reason I want to explain the whole "Match Process" for any of you MS1 or MS2 spouses out there who are curious as to how it works. I know I was always curious as to the process and my husbands answer was always, "just wait" or "we'll know when we have to do anything." I have also found that most people (who aren't married or related to a medical student) have no idea about the whole process that is involved in "matching" to your residency program. Therefore I am going to take this opportunity to describe the process (based on my understanding).*
The match process begins in July of a medical student's fourth and final year of school. This is when a fourth year gets a password to log-in to the match website. At this time medical students can start entering information into their application. Then in August (the 15th) a students applications can officially be sent to schools. The match website (www.NRMP.org is the main site but some programs use www.sfmatch.org, or www.auanet.org) sends or submits the applications out to the different programs (selected by the applicant). Then usually in October and November the programs send out invitations for interviews. Programs are selective in granting interviews and therefore if an applicant doesn't get an interview they are out of the running for a spot. Medical students can choose to accept or deny these interviews but if they deny an interview, it takes them out of the running. Interviews usually take place in November, December and early January. Interviews usually last at least one day. Often times they are two days; the first evening is a reception and the second day will include a tour and the actual interview. (Some programs invite spouses to the reception - which is a nice opportunity for them to visit the city and learn more about the program). The next step in the process is the rank list.
Starting in January every student will rank the programs they interviewed with. This is another step where an applicant can eliminate a program by not ranking them. At the end of February (the 24th at midnight next year) the rank lists are officially due and must be submitted. All programs will also submit a list ranking their candidates by order of preference. The match process is weighed in favor of the applicants in the sense that the match system will look at a student's list and look to their first pick, if their first pick has them ranked number one they match (or if their program takes six and they are ranked in the top six then they will match there). If a program has a student ranked number one but that student has them ranked five, the match process will first see if that student matches with their top four. This is why it is necessary for all applicants to make sure they rank their programs in order of their preference. All of the matching is done electronically or by computer and it tries to match students to their highest (or lowest if you are referring to numbers) ranked program. Hypothetically the more places a student ranks should increase their chances of matching. Many students will apply to programs across the country. Between the cost of applications, travel and hotels, many students will spend several thousands of dollars on this process. Usually your financial aid office can help you take out special loans to cover the additional expenses.
Then the third Monday in March (the 15th of 2010) students will receive an email informing them of whether or not that matched. Then that afternoon the match program will release what programs still have openings so that the students who did not initially match can "scramble match." This scrambling process happens in a matter of days and results in people matching at programs that they didn't apply to, interview with, or rank. Then later that week, on the third Thursday in March (the 18th of 2010) most schools will host a match day reception where all the students will gather with friends and family. At the reception all students will be handed an envelope which contains their future. They have no idea what it is going to say, it could include any of the umteen (however many) programs they rank. And that's it... nine months of applying, interviewing and worrying and you find out where you are going in an instant.

Residency Match Resources
For those of you who want to know more about residency programs, here is a great website: Freida Online Search . Here is another link of deadlines and dates for this years upcoming match.
*This is just my basic, informal, and lay-person's understanding of the process - do not rely on my statements or representations. Also the process will vary for medical students in the military and those applying for certain specialties such a urology.

Fun weekend

This weekend was a lot of play and very little productiveness. On Friday I went out on the town to celebrate my friend Shannon’s thirtieth birthday. Although we’ve lived in Springfield for over a year and a half and I had yet to go out downtown. I found out that Springfield actually has quite the nightlife. We went to several bars each of which were unique and entertaining. I had more than my share of shots and martinis and definitely had a good time! Shannon is also the mother to a one-month-old incredibly adorable baby boy and her husband is currently serving in Afghanistan. Drew spent the night babysitting and hanging out with Shannon's little guy. This was the sight we came home to…
Drew and I stayed the night so that we (and I mean Drew) could get up with the baby during the night so that Shannon could actually sleep after a night of drinking. How great is my husband?
Saturday morning we headed to Peoria for a wedding of Drew’s college friend. It was another beautiful and fun wedding, and we spent another evening dancing the night away.
Then today we got to go to my favorite place ever… the Ice Cream Shack! It is a little place, kind of in the ghetto of Peoria, but it the best soft serve ice cream and blizzard combinations (smores, banana cookie, strawberry shortcake and more). I absolutely LOVE soft serve ice cream! When I went to school in Peoria I seriously went there multiple times a week even though it was at the complete opposite side of town as campus. And although I am a bit embarrassed to admit it, I often bought two treats... one for now and one to freeze for later!Today I was able to enjoy one of my favorites – a strawberry shortcake wizard! Mmmm!
Also, I know I haven't posted much on medical school lately I just haven't gotten around to it - I want to post about loans during residency and about the residency match process. So hopefully I can get to those this week.

Acceptance #2

Drew got his second acceptance to do a sub-I rotation! We are really excited because this is the one he applied to way back in March and we have been nervously waiting on a response! He will now have 2 differen four week sub-I/away rotations this fall. We are still waiting on a third program but they just started reviewing applications last week so we aren't getting nervous quite yet... and now that he has gotten accepted into two programs there is a little less pressure. I've been doing a little dance in my head all day because at work I don't think anyone really cares about these things...who thought I would get so excited to be apart from my husband?!

It feels like yesterday

But its been two years of married bliss... I love being married to Drew. And my wedding was probably the happiest day of my life (so far) and being that I love pictures I am going to take this opportunity to share a few from our special day - June 2, 2007.

My handsome groom getting ready

My wonderful parents, I couldn't be more blessed!

A few of my favorite girls

And a few more of my best girls

Seeing each other for the first time

Outside the church (it was a beautiful day with just a single rain storm in the morning)

Julia and Jillian

The ceremony

Bridal party exiting
Leaving the church as a married couple

Happily Ever After