Once again, I am on the road.

We have now left Charleston and are in Madison for the month. It should be a great month. We are staying with some great people and it is nice to have some time in a different city. I am trying to slowly decide what to do next year. Why does it have to be so hard!

BTW Here are some wedding pictures I have yet to post...We had such a great day! We also loved our photographer (http://www.theroguemagnoliablog.com/)...

Exhausted

Interviews are making me feel so exhausted! I haven't even been on that many (5 so far) but they are just so draining. I have about half OB and half FM interviews scheduled. I am still not sure what I want to do 100% but I do know I love OB and can't leave it behind..so I am really hoping I match OB. I feel, however, I screwed up my first choice for OB. I was so nervous for the interview and sounded like such a dumb kid. It was really laid back but I was like a deer in headlights the whole time from the very beginning to the end. I haven't even been phased in other interviews when they sit there and pimp me..so I have no idea why I freaked out about this one. I still really really really want to match there! However, I have a feeling that it is about everyone else that interviewed number 1's too. So we will see..Feb 14th can't come fast enough.

I am on family medicine right now and I love my doctor. She tells me everyday not to go into family medicine though. It is pretty hilarious.

I am also feaking out because I am late..as in my period. Ha..I def could be pregnant which would suck because then I would be due about half way into my first month of residency..blah! So I guess we will see. I am really hoping I am not and am not sure what I will even do if I am. Jeremiah says he has my support either way. Why is this happening! I need to be not so stupid.

I am so sick of people here saying bad crap about 'Obamacare'. It is driving me CRAZY.

Long time no post...

So I got married! Three weeks ago..it was very exciting, laid back and a lot of fun.

In other news, I am currently living in Portland, Maine for the month doing a NICU rotation. It is pretty much awesome! I love being with the babies all day, however, it is a hard rotation with long hours and sad stories. I am in the highest level NICU and we have some very sick babies, which is stressful and scary. My first day I was given the responsibility of caring for two of the babies, which made me so nervous since I had no idea what I was doing. However, my babies behaved themselves and I had a good day. The next day they gave me a baby on a vent. Ahh! The day was kinda nuts but it went fine. Since then, I have been able to see the birth of a 25 week old girl, 25 week old twins, a 27 week old boy and several 34 week kids. I can't believe how small the 25 week babies are! It is crazy. Their feet are about an inch long and they weight about 14 ounces! My smallest babe was a little over 2 lbs when I got him but now he is much larger (a whole 3 lbs!). He is adorable and I just want to give him kisses. All of this scares the crap out of me and makes me very nervous to have my own babies. It also makes me question going into ob/gyn. Hmmm....

I have had a few interviews for ob/gyn and one for fm. I have a lot more interviews to go. I keep running through things in my head..should I go into ob/gyn or should I go into fm and have a better lifestyle, a better chance to have a good family life, and be able to do ob and peds in my practice? I am very confused and feel like I have run out of time. I am not sure what to do! I should have just applied to FM residencies in places I might want to live. Dangit! Although, I think I would still be happy matching OB. What should I do? I am so passionate about OB but I want to have a good life too....shoot.

Woohoo

I got my first interview for an OB program!! So excited!!!!

I have one more week of my OMT rotation..I feel like I am getting my hands back which is awesome. I also did some acupuncture this week! How exciting!

D-day

I take my boards tomorrow. I feel like vomiting.

Five More Days

I have five more days until I take my Step 2 boards. I am ready to get it over with but am SO nervous. I am taking a practice test tomorrow to decide if I want to push it back or not. AHHH. I am just frustrated with myself. Why do I put everything off till the last second! I guess I like to stress myself out!

On another note, I found a new apartment for Jeremiah and I to move into after we get married. It is only two doors down from my current apartment (same building, same floor), which I find amusing. I currently live in a studio apartment, which would be doable for us, however, I would rather have a little more space if available. This apartment came open on Saturday down the hall and I told the landlord I wanted it on Sunday. It is a little bit more expensive and has a living room, dinning room and a bedroom! Considering I only have one room right now, we are both really excited to have more room. Jeremiah is especially happy since this now means he can bring some of his furniture with him. We also have room for visitors! Exciting stuff I tell ya!

PS. I read a blog called pacing the panic room. It is amazing and I always enjoy it. Anyways this video was just posted and it is Awesome!

http://vimeo.com/14235967

Step 2

Right now, I am busy studying for step 2 boards. It is rough! I trying my best to do 8 hour days but it is hard..and I really am ending up doing 5 hour days. I feel exhausted already and still have a little over a week left. I am nailing down my schedule for the fall which is nice though! I am hoping I end up getting an ob rotation in Columbus, even though it will be past interview dates. So far I am going to Portland Maine, Madison Wisconsin, and Columbus? Then I will be in Charleston the rest of the time.

Well..enough break, back to studying for me! Hoping I don't stay up as late as I have been (studying til 4am doesn't make sense for anyone!)

Boards..once again

I have three weeks till Boards..freaking out!

I just read a article on how Gisele Bundchen had a water birth at home. In the article, she also stated how birth didn't hurt. It is pretty neat to hear a celebrity, especially some big fancy supermodel, say those things about her birth. She also says that she thinks it should be a world wide law that women have to breast feed till their baby is at least 6 months old. I wish more people thought like that...hopefully when I am an OB I'll be able to convince some of my patients!

Stress and my Future

I can't tell you how stressed I am. I take step 2 boards in 4 weeks and haven't studied that much as of yet..but I am trying to tell myself that I still have FOUR weeks. Right? I am also trying to plan my wedding which is in 2 months. This is a lot of stuff to do. On top of that I am trying to figure out my next year, calling and emailing residencies all day. It is hard! I wish I had OB rotations set up where I want to do but that is harder done than said. Praying that I at least hear from a couple programs this week. I also am trying to figure out my mandatory rotations for next year too. All of this with NO help sucks! Needless to say my apartment is disgusting..I don't care about laundry or the dishes when I get home.

I did apply to my DO OB programs this weekend, which is scary and exciting at the same time. I will be applying to MD OB programs and MD FM-Women's Health residencies. I really hope it works out..I really want to do OB at this point..I think I made that clear in my personal statement, which I hope they read.

Why do things tend to happen all at once? I think God is just testing me to see how much weight I can handle on my shoulders..I know I can do it though!

Officially a Fourth year!

So, it is now about 10 months until I graduate and get the letters D.O. after my name. This is both exciting and scary! Hoping I learn enough in the next ten months to make me feel a lot less nervous about being in charge of people's lives!

My peds rotation kind of did end up changing things. My rankings of residencies are still OB as number one but peds is definitely a close second. I liked working with the kids and think I would enjoy inpatient, besides you have a much better lifestyle. It sucks thinking about lifestyle but you have to! I feel bad because I am so passionate about Ob and women's health issues that I don't want to leave it behind. I guess we will just see what happens. I am going to apply to both programs and see what happens.

I am now on anesthesiology and it is so boring! It isn't for me at all but at least I am getting a lot of practice with intubating and placing I.V.s. Today, when we went to do an epidural I just wanted to stay on the OB floor. I wish I could have said, "Hey anesthesiology doc, I know it is my first day but can I abandon your service and just stay here!". We even went and did a bolus on a patient who was about to deliver and my OB preceptor was the doc..I wanted to stay with him so bad it hurt walking out of the room! Overall, it was a good day though! I have a night of reading about anesthesiology drugs in front of me though because I know nothing about them really, their mechanisms especially. I also got pimped all day on the brachial plexus, what the crap! I haven't even really looked at that since studying for step 1. Looks like I will have a fun night tonight!

Wedding plans are coming together (kinda!). I have to order flowers and figure out the menu, but that is about it. I think I have a photographer, which I wasn't planning in the beginning but decided I really need to have pictures so I am going to work it in somehow. I also need to plan a weekend to pick up my bf's suit and my dress. Thinking about wedding stuff right now, I need to move my ring to a safer spot since I can't wear it on this rotation. As of right now, we can't do a honeymoon which sucks but it is hard when I have a rotation in Portland starting the week after..hmm.

So, right now it is off to studying, trying to schedule rotations (btw trying to set up OB audition rotations is so hard!!!), and figuring out a budget for the next year.

Starting to like Peds!

So, after a few weeks on this peds rotation I have started to actually like it. Maybe it is because of all the babies I see! Their well child visits are so fun! Hmm...this decision on what to do with my life is getting hard!

I just read this birth story, which is great: http://lumpsandwoozles.blogspot.com/2010/06/logan-james.html.

HOWEVER..at the very end she says " Turns out also that he wasn't an OB/GYN he was a DO...". Come on..DOs are doctors and can be whatever they want. How do people not get this? I try not to let it bother me..but it does! We need more DO advocacy or something out there!

NICU?

Right now I am on peds rotation..the first few days made me decide it was not for me. Although, this week I did two days inpatient, which was really fun, and two days in the NICU. I love the NICU and I got to see births from a different side. The NICU is sad though and hard. Today, I got to watch a birth in which the mother had no epidural and it was so nice. The mom was fantastic and baby was great..well not exactly. She started bradying down and starting grunting and retracting..the nurses freaked out about it. I think she was fine and just needed time (and two of the NICU nurses agreed with me and told me they were embarrassed that the neonatologist was even called about it). I understand why they freaked out but if you are giving her oxygen and watching her you don't need to freak out about it..all her other stats were fine! Hmm...

Ahh nothing like Vacation

So, today is the last day of my vacation! How Sad! I start pediatrics tomorrow. It is the rotation that might change all my plans so I am kind of excited/worried about it! I should be studying right now but instead I am working on a presentation for education day at my hospital site. I am doing it on a patient I saw a few months ago and further going onto discussing a few derm things like erythema multiforma, pemphigus vulgaris, TEN, etc. I think it will be good board prep stuff (hopefully!). However, I have procrastinated on this and am to turn it in by tomorrow..blah.

no more ob...sad!

I have finished yet another rotation! One more rotation (peds) and I will be a forth year! This is exciting news! I am so slammed right now with things to do I can't even think about it. I am studying for boards (aug 23rd!), planning a wedding and planning my next year. I also am working on my application for residencies. I need to get working on my personal statement but have my cv done at least!

Can I just say that my OB/GYN rotation was once again great! My preceptor is just amazing. We had a long convo about other docs in the area and how the practice...he likes to make comments like if you were with so and so they would have done a c-section or an exploratory lap etc. Then we would talk about why he doesn't do that stuff in those situations and why I shouldn't either! Don't get me wrong I did disagree with him in some things but mostly I think he is a great doc! The rotation did make me baby crazy though. I really would love to have a baby but it just isn't the time. I feel like I have to PLAN EVERYTHING about my life from now on. I know I can't go to interviews being really pregnant, I don't think that would look very good!

Off to making sure I like my CV and starting a personal statement! I am writing two..one for Ob/gyn and one for family med-women's health tracks. I wish I had an in at an OB/GYN residency..but I don't..boo!

PS. I don't watch a lot of tv but I was watching 18 kids and counting and I saw the one have a wonderful homebirth..love it.

OB oh My

Delivered a baby today! It was very fun! We have another mommy-to-be in labor right now..she has been having contractions for the past day..her water broke this morning and my doc is just waiting for her to progress..we will see what happens I suppose. Maybe I'll get that call at like 2 in the morning! woohoo. Hoping she actually goes into labor. I am happy my doctor gives the ladies lots of time and lets them do things on their own..however, the hospital has limits so we will see what happens.

Hoping for a birth tomorrow!

Starting another 2 weeks of Ob/Gyn tomorrow! I am very excited...don't know though about being on call 24/7 for the next two weeks! I love the OB I am with and am hoping to learn a lot. Hoping it is good prep for boards! Can I say that I am sooo scared about boards..again! ugh.

I then have vacation for two weeks, and I am hoping to get a lot of stuff finished for the wedding and school rotations for next year. Why is everything adding up at one time? I suppose that is just how things happen..a big thumbs down on that.

It is that time of the year again!

On my way to DC for DO Day on the Hill. I am very excited about this. DO Day is one of my favorite things of the year. It feels so good to be lobbying for healthcare and to be an active physician-to-be. My first time I must say I was nervous to speak to the senators but now I am just excited..getting all of my points that I want to make on paper so I don't sound like a fool! I am one of the lucky ones who always seems to meet with my senator and representative..not sure how that happens! (maybe it is because last year I chased down my representative in the hall going to a vote to talk to him, it is good to know what these people look like lol) I wish more people were coming to Washington, it seems like there are hardly any people coming from my school this year! This stinks but what can you do! I think the more active you are and the more you talk to the people with some power you can get things done, we just need more people to be pro-active! Wish me luck in pushing my politics..eek!

What a long day!

Today was my school's OSCEs (at least for me!), which is their version of the PE. It was a very long day. I am still lost as to how I missed some of the cases, which makes me laugh! I really should focus more on what is going on! How on earth did I miss that a lady was having a stroke? hmm maybe because she said she has been having the symptoms for a few weeks..besides what could we do at that point? I am losing my mind!

hilarious...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQGpxFmxrBc&feature=player_embedded#!

so sweet

http://josevillablog.com/2010/04/mary-and-leo-married-60-years/

Say it ain't so...

A forth year today told me she matched into Ob/Gyn. Is it bad that after she said this I thought of saying "really? I wouldn't want you as my ob..you are so, well, unfriendly!"? Eek. I can just see her being very forceful with her patients but maybe I am so wrong because I only see one side of her, maybe, she is completely different with her patients. Hmmm...I guess we all end up doing what we are supposed to do? right? I AM SO SCARED ABOUT THIS!

Confusion

I pretty much have always been stuck on OB/GYN. I really love it and I think it is what I want to do, however, I am having a lot of problems with it right now. It is hard to decide when everything you read or hear is NOT to do it. Is it really going to be that difficult? I don't know right now if I should do it now. There are other things I am interested in, so maybe I should do one of those. It is really stressful right now! I think if I did Ob/Gyn I would be a great advocate for women and their births. However, I am nervous about being on call everyday all day and about the malpractice. Is that why they say don't do Ob/Gyn? Why is this so difficult? Why can't I know 100% what I want to do with my life? Ugh

On other news, this mine explosion is not so far from me and it is really rocking the community. I feel really bad for the miners and their families and am keeping them in my thoughts and prayers!

Hooray

I am in my third week of psych..and I don't mind it! I got to watch ECT today and tomorrow I get to 'push the button'. eek!

I want to say a big yay! MY fiance's brother and his wife had their baby early this morning..haven't heard much about the delivery yet though! Juniper Evelyn Berger

Oh Boy

Finally on a rotation where I can just chill..Psych! It is really easy and laid back. Even though I am not doing much or learning anything for that matter, I think this rotation was much needed. I have so much on my plate right now so it is nice to have the time to figure things out.

Planning the wedding is going along slowly but I feel okay about everything. Jeremiah is really helping with everything so that is nice. It is great that both of us our involved.

Planning next year out is completely opposite. I am trying to figure out what rotations to do and where. I really like OB/GYN of course but now am second guessing my decision based on all the factors you have to consider! i.e. residency life, lifestyle after graduating, money, ability to have a family and children, and the list goes on. I have started researching being a Laborist..who knows?? If I don't do OB what should I do for a living? I would like to think about peds but really I don't think I would be able to pay back my student loans that well. This is such a hard decision. I just don't know what I want to do for the rest of my life that will make me happy..it isn't like I can just switch!

At least it is warm outside so I can take long walks to figure this stuff out in my head...ha!

I've made it...almost

ONE MORE DAY LEFT..of internal med! I am so happy that it is almost over because I really can't take it anymore. I feel like I have been on fam med for another 8 weeks and it is killing me. It isn't that I don't like family med, it is just that I am so gosh darn bored. Also, my doctor is kind of an ass but I guess you will get that on rotations. Hmm...I am also deciding I hate 'medicine'..i.e. taking care of people who just have HTN, diabetes or sinus infections...now a pregnant woman with HTN that is a different story lol!

I am starting psych next..in the psych ward woooo. It should be okay I hope! I am soo not into psych at all.

Signed up for another ob rotation for my elective in May. Very excited about it! I am picking what residency programs I am looking at now and am busy setting up rotations for next year. This is really hard, esp when you get no direction from your school.

umm..yeah

http://abc.go.com/shows/jamie-olivers-food-revolution

This I hope is going to be good but I really don't know. I actually live here (well, in West Virginia at least) which is sad. It is so true that people here are so unhealthy! Ohhh West Virginia. I just hope the show doesn't play up all those stereotypes out there about wvers.

ugh

Why do some docs feel like they have to abuse their students just because they were abused at some point during their schooling. Hey DOC you aren't teaching me by asking me questions over and over and over again!

Happy V-DAY!!!

Here I am again...

Whoa...I feel like I haven't been on here in forever but really it has only been 4 weeks. I have been on my rural family med rotation in RURAL West Virginia, which was very interesting because, well, I got to meet some very interesting people. It was awesome actually. My doc was super laid back and very nice. I, however, had to leave early several times and showed up late several times due to snow (hello we have gotten like 50 inches in the last month!). This led to me driving to and from work white knuckled most days...there is no such thing as a straight road here (at least one that goes for very long!).

I have started to figure out my fourth year..first thing was scheduling my boards! AHHH. August 23rd for the written..I was hoping I could take it the 20th but no dates were available then, maybe some will open up. I don't know when to take the PE yet. It is also 1100 bucks, so I am not sure how I am paying for it either! I am trying to decide where to do my electives and what not. It sure is a lot to think about right now..whoever said 3rd year was easier was right but I think it is a lot more stressful too!

I am setting up things for my wedding too! It is very exciting. We set the date, the location and the place for reception..now we are working on the food. It is a lot of work. I did get my dress though, exciting!