Our Medical School Journey, Part III

I remember an SAA meeting where I found out more information about rotations & residency &, for the first time, realized there is so much more to medical school than classroom instruction for two years.  I knew there were more years to school; I just didn’t realize that it gets even more demanding & more stressful with the potential for less family time.  Is that possible?  I didn’t think so.  But I know it will...and someday soon.

For rotations, we got to rank our top five locations & then the selections were made.  Our second choice was Provo, Utah (our first choice was Wichita, Kansas).  When we found out we got our second choice, numerous people asked me if we were okay.  I said, “Provo was my first choice, Wichita was Brendon’s first choice.  I’m happy.”  And so was Brendon. 

We made the move & I had no clue how much I would miss Kirksville.  Life is a series of adjustments & changes, but this one has taken me awhile to feel comfortable with.  Don’t get me wrong: I absolutely love being near my family, but I feel like my Kirksville “family” is gone.  We are all spread out across the country & I’ve realized with this move that I have a really hard time letting go of people.  I’ve always tried to stay in contact with friends, and never thought anything of it, but now I realize I have a hard time letting go of people.  I like making new friends, but I hate not keeping in touch with the old friends.  

Recently we’ve started doing more with the “old” friends we left when we moved to Kirksville.  I think that has been a big help.  I feel like I’m finally adjusting.  Maybe time has helped a little bit, too. 

I need to insert here how great it is to be near so much family.  It has been much fun it has been to be within a mile of my parents.  I love being able to spend time with my mom multiple times a week.  I love watching my parents love Henry.  I love seeing my siblings & talking with them & knowing everything that is going on in their lives.  I love being near Brendon’s aunt, uncle, & cousins & eating, playing, & talking with them.  Basically, I love family.  Although a little overwhelming when we first moved, I now relish the time we spend together.

And as far as school is concerned, we are really enjoying it: me for the schedule & Brendon for real-life experiences & the lack of book work.  I love hearing Brendon’s stories at the end of each day.   He is learning so much & the doctors have been great to work with.  Each rotation is four weeks.  Brendon has four weeks to experience the lifestyle of numerous types of doctors.  One great thing about rotations is each one only lasts four weeks.  If he doesn’t like what he’s doing, it is so bearable.  If I don't like the schedule, it's only four weeks.  There is always something to look forward to as well.

The hard part of rotations has yet to come: out rotations.  I have been dreading those already & they are months away.  I’ve read several other blogs of those experiencing out rotations & have already felt more comforted about the whole thing.  You see, Brendon will likely be gone for four weeks at a time to “get in” with the hospitals where he wants to do residency, all of which happen to be in California.  And I know I just made four weeks sound like it isn't a big deal, but when it means not seeing your husband for four weeks in a row...it is a big deal.  But I think I can do it.  I think I can make it four weeks without Brendon.  I think.  Maybe???  Hopefully we’ll be able to work something out so that Henry & I can go visit or something.  Not sure how that’s all going to work out.  Just another reason why being near family will be really nice.

Brendon is in his fourth rotation.  He started with pediatrics, his love.  And just like he thought he would, he loved it.  I loved his schedule.  Someday I hope he has a similar schedule: start at 9 AM & be home by 5 PM.  Dream big, I say.  Brendon loved working with all the kids.  I’m hoping that by him being a pediatrician, it will help compensate for the number of children we have versus the number he wants (which is a minimum of five, by the way…not that I don’t want five, but this way there’s no pressure).  He can have hundreds of children as a pediatrician.

Brendon’s second rotation was internal medicine.  He said that really is the “know it all” doctor.  The patients have chronic pain, regular visits, and a lot of medications.  The patients talked very highly of the doctor he was with and I think Brendon learned a lot about listening & taking time with patients. 

The third rotation was OB-GYN.  His doctor let him do a lot & did a great job of teaching him.  The schedule was a little more demanding, but it was very bearable, especially because we knew it would only last one month.  Brendon really enjoyed this rotation because of his involvement.  I loved getting to hear how much he was able to participate each day. 

He just started his family medicine rotation this week.

Overall, Henry & I are enjoying how much Brendon is around.  At first I had a hard time with Brendon being home & not doing something with me during every moment.  For the past two years, whenever he was home, I had his attention (i.e. he was either talking with me or listening to me).  It took me awhile to realize that he is going to be home more now, that he doesn’t get to play pool at work or take any breaks (like he did during school),  & that he needs some time for himself.  I think I’m getting better now.  But it sure has been nice to have him around.

What do I think about medical school?  It’s good, it’s hard, I love it, I hate it; but overall, I really don’t want to look back & think about how much I anticipated it all to be over.  Rather, I want to look back & realize how great each stage was, no matter how easy or difficult.  I want to enjoy our medical school journey.  So I think we will.