Monday, May 21, 2007

Done! (Sort of!)

Well, all of my clinical responsibilibies for 3rd year are DONE, and now we have a little "break" between now and June 1st, when we start 4th year. I say "break" because it is not really one for me. Tomorrow I take my senior OSCE, then a week from tomorrow it's Step 2 CS in Chicago, then 2 days after that I'll take my final exam (surgery) of THIRD year. So yeah, lots of studying to do in the next 10 days. I'm kinda bummed about not really having a break, but I did it to myself, so it's ok. I'm also hoping to get my MESS of a house cleaned in the next few weeks as well.

My fourth year schedule looks as such:
June -- NICU (VERY excited about this)
July -- Developmental/newborn follow up outpatient
Aug -- KENYA
Sept -- KENYA
Oct -- Peds cardiology
Nov -- Peds therapeutics (hopefully). If I don't get into this elective, I'll be doing Peds infectious disease
Dec -- VACATION (and residency interviews)
Jan -- Radiology
Feb -- Emergency Medicine
March -- Peds heme/onc (and MATCH DAY!!!)
April -- Medicine Sub-I (The only worse month to have your Sub-I is in May)
May -- VACATION (and graduation!)

So there you have it. Only 12 short months until I have in my posession a very expensive degree and hat. Kinda scary, eh?

In other news, the ACP leadership Day in DC was pretty great. The first day, I learned quite a bit about specifically what issues the medical community has identified as needing priority action. I also learned more about the structure and theory behind the medicare program, and we touched a little on medicaid as well. It got me (re)interested in public policy, and once again I'm thinking that may be part of my medical future. I also got to see Jay and India, which was fun. Overall, it was a good trip, but now I really need to go back so I can do touristy things (as the last time I was in DC before this, I was about 10).

The books are calling. But far away in the distance, I think I can finally see an end in sight!

Saturday, May 5, 2007

I'm leavin' on a jet plane

step 1: tickets bought -- check!


well, my flight's been booked, that's a big step done. I'll be leaving 8/1 in the afternoon --> arriving in Eldoret 8/2 in the evening. Return flight leaving 9/28 and I'll be getting back to the US sometime on 9/29.

Whee!!!!

In other fun news, Mike and I ran the mini today. Well, we ran the 5K portion of the mini. I was really set on finding time to train for the 13.1 this year (as I've been for the past 3 years), but unfortunately having surgery block during prime training time was not conducive to that. So, NEXT YEAR. Next year I WILL train for the full (half) marathon and do it! All in all, the event itself is really something to see. All of downtown, and many surrounding streets are completely closed down. By far the biggest 1/2 marathon in the country; 35,000 people run the 13.1 portion, with an additional 3500 running the 5k. Afterwards, the entirety of Military Park is full of various booths and vendors, massage tables, radio stations, etc. Not to mention boatloads of free stuff. It was actually really fun. (Even Mike thought it was, though he is not the biggest fan of running). Afterwards, we went to see Spiderman 3, which I highly reccomend.

Overall, it's been a good day. Now I'm chillin' watching movies while Mike is downtown doing press coverage for the Fever game. Then it's back to work tomorrow. Blah.

BUT I HAVE PLANE TICKETS!!!!

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

First Meeting!

Huzzah!

Actually, it was pretty fun, to get to bond and chill with all the other MS3s (soon to be MS4s!) going to Kenya in various other months. It turns out that 2 of the other students planning on going in August/September switched to different months, and 1 other one dropped the elective. So now (as far as students going), it will be me and 2 pretty good girlfriends from school, so I think we're going to have a great time together. Also, one of the residents who will be there in September with me was one of my inpatient peds residents last November, and she was tons of fun.

So really, we talked about some logistics (important) and a lot about safety (VERY important), buying our visas, money, that sort of thing. There were some questions that I didn't really get answered, but I want non-administrative (ie -- other students') answers. So I'll ask around.

Next week is the SHOT meeting, we'll get to spend the first in a long line of large sums of money for protection against Hep A, typhoid, polio, and yellow fever. Wee-haw!

In other news, tomorrow I leave the blissful world of anesthesia and return to transplant. But for only 12 more days!

Addendum: Just so you understand how much school has been sucking lately, I COMPLETELY forgot that Tori's new album, American Doll Posse, came out yesterday. Ack! How can this be?!?! Lucky for me, wonderful Mo drove around tow to find it for me tonight :D.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Happy May Day!

Today marks the three-months-to-go mark until I'll be in Kenya! Well, at least I'll be in some sort of vehicle on my WAY to Kenya. This week is also super exciting because Wednesday is the first of several group meetings about the elective, and hopefully I'll get a few questions answered so we can buy plane tickets some time in the next week.

Aside from occasional moments of sheer panic when I think about actually LIVING in Africa for 2 months (without my husband, no less), I'm getting REALLY excited about going. Third year is so close to being done I can hardly stand it, then it's off to DC for a few days, taking my first exam of fourth year (before fourth year even starts -- how does that work?), taking the first part of step 2 boards, then learning swahili, and I'll be good to go. Or something like that.

And also, tomorrow is my dad's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!
(now if anyone has any suggestions on gifts, send them my way)