Ultimate Disappointment

That's ok, Massachusetts. I didn't really want to work with patients who could afford their healthcare anyway.

A Look back

So, 2009 is over. How did that happen? Here's a quick summary of everything that went on.

In January, I started second semester of M1 year, and we shortly had an ice storm to end all ice storms. Sadly, that meant we had a week off from school but still had to do work since there was a test the next week. In May, I finished my first year of med school and D began his first big promotion, and in June I spent the month working at a pediatrics internship that was incredible and life-affirming and really makes me want to be a pediatrician. In July we had a lovely vacation with my family and D began to realize just how much his new job sucked. In August, I lost my wonderful grandfather and began M2. In October, D got promoted again and now thoroughly enjoys his position. In November, I signed up for the boards, and in December, I somehow managed to survive the first semester of M2.

In 2010, I'll take the boards, start M3, and go on a fabulous spring break trip to Europe. Hopefully it will be just as awesome as it sounds.

The goose is getting fat

Twas the night after finals, and all through the house

not a creature was studying, especially not about diseases spread by a mouse.

(There's a lot of those, actually--the things you learn.)

My only problem (if you could call it that) with finals being over is the fact that I always wake up the next morning with a start, thinking I've overslept and wondering what I need to be studying. But then I realize that it's all over and I can sleep in another few hours (or eight). That's a good feeling.

Now I get two whole weeks with which to do absolutely NOTHING. Actually, not so much nothing, but now I get to do all the things I want to do without thinking about the multiple different types of ovarian cancer or hemorrhagic fever. Today I went shopping with my mom and sisters and then wrapped presents. Now all my shopping is done and my presents are under the tree and there is possibly no feeling in the world so satisfying. I'm such a Christmas dork. After dinner tonight, D and I watched the Muppet Christmas Carol, and I can't imagine that a five year old would have had more fun than me.

I'm particularly excited about Christmas this year because one of my cousins is due to have a baby any day now, and will get induced on Wednesday if she doesn't go into labor on her own before then. Which means we'll have a very brand new baby here for Christmas dinner (!!!). One more reason to celebrate. Can't wait.

Thanksgiving was lovely--I planned on taking the entire weekend off, but wasn't nearly as productive the Tuesday prior as I expected. It ended up turning out great--I was able to study for only the briefest amount of time each day and got immense amounts of work done. I always feel like I do my best work when I can do it in little bursts, at my own pace, when I want to, rather than forcing myself through hours and hours of work. Sadly, I don't go to medical school in Fantasy Land.

Now that we're back, it's the home stretch and the burnout is kicking in in serious ways. It doesn't help that, due to the time off for the holiday, we are now packing as MUCH SCHOOL into the final two weeks as is humanly possible. Honestly, it's pretty ridiculous. Oh well--two weeks and then it's all over (for two weeks).

Even so, as I walked to school this morning, I listened to Christmas carols on my iPod and couldn't help but smile.

Venipuncture

Cool news of the week: I drew blood for the first time on Wednesday! And I was the only person in my group who managed to at least half-way fill up the vial. I felt accomplished. Of course, I left a lovely bruise on my friend F's arm and she on mine, but what they hey, we have to learn somewhere.

It's actually kind of cool to learn on each other, because knowing that it really doesn't hurt that bad gives you a little more confidence to do it to someone else--and if you can do it on your best friend, you can probably do it to a stranger even easier.

One thing we did discover, however, is that phlebotomy is possibly the most ripe conversation topic for "That's What She Said" jokes of. all. time. I mean, it's kind of ridiculous. Witness said conversation between F and I after the session:

F: Ouch, I hope that didn't hurt you too much.

B: Not really, I think you just weren't in deep enough the first time. It wasn't so bad after you went in a little deeper.

F: Yeah, I think I was so worried about trying not to wiggle it around too much, I couldn't think about much else. Also, sorry for squirting all over you at the end.

I kid you not. We did realize at that point that anyone walking past us on the street would probably be appalled and/or laughing hysterically, so hopefully we were at least entertaining.

Alert the media

I just registered to apply to take the USMLE Step 1 (aka: The Boards) in June. $500 later, I am committed to taking the most frightening test in the world in a little more than six months.

Holy. Shit.

All the news that's news

It's coming up on test time again, so clearly, it is time for procrastination. Lots of things have been happening lately, though, so I do at least have some alterior motives other than getting away from studying.

First off, yesterday was my birthday, and it was fabulous. My family got me a new printer that prints wirelessly and prints photos that are better quality than I've recently gotten at any drugstore kiosk, so I'm currently waiting as it prints over 50 pictures from Germany the last time I was there--which, sadly, was over 3 years ago. It's just too darn easy for digital pictures to stay on the camera rather than going in the albums I buy for them...but hopefully now it will be easier to print them all in the loveliness of my own home!

This is particularly useful because it will be helpful to have my pictures from my last European adventure printed off before we begin our next one...because D and I are headed to Vienna for my spring break as a sort of "last hurrah before B gets sucked into the hospitals." I'm incredibly excited--for our one year anniversary, his gift to me was that we would save up enough money to do Europe again before our 2nd anniversary, and lo and behold we actually did it. I'm incredibly excited--we were going back and forth for a long time between Vienna and northern Italy (Florence, etc.), but ended up going with Vienna because it's my favorite city in the world and D hasn't ever been. We'll probably take a side trip to Graz while we're there, which is where I studied the last time. It'll be cool to show him everything I did and saw when I was there for so long.

In medical news, my time in the student-run clinics is almost over, which makes me really sad. Last Monday, I only got to see one patient, but he was an incredibly cute little boy who made me giggle. It will definitely be nice to have Monday nights back again for studying and such, but I'll miss working with people. Nice to have something to look forward to for next year beyond all this studying and board prep and insanity.

I also got to spend last Friday morning hanging out with the OB team on the labor and delivery ward as part of a special event a school club was hosting. Unfortunately, it was an incredibly slow day with only about 3 women on the wards (two of whom had just arrived and were not going to deliver their babies any time soon), but we did get to see one C-section before we left. It was really neat to watch, but I have to say that the more I do other things, the more I find myself to be a peds person. While we were watching the C-section on Friday, every other student in the room was completely captivated by the surgery (ooh! look at all the blood and guts and gore and grossness! Cool!!!!)--and I was too, until the baby was born. Once he was out, I was totally into him and what the pediatricians were doing--checking APGARs, reflexes, etc. I keep trying to give other specialties a clear shot in my head--I mean, I could end up liking something other than peds, and I want to have an open mind--but every time I do I just can't seem to get away from the kiddos. Maybe that's a good thing, maybe not, but I don't know that there's much I can do about it...just have to wait and see what happens next year.

Babies just turn me into a big ball of doctor mush.