Thus Starts the Waiting Game.....

So, on Wednesday night my official Rank Order List (ROL) was officially submitted. And now we wait. I have 20 more days until Match Day (March 20, but who's counting?) when I find out where I'm going.

I'm not going to lie, I'm a little freaked out. I felt good about my list and where I ranked the programs--I don't feel nervous about that. I'm just nervous about where I'll end up.

And because I'm a stupid human, I want to be where I want to be. But I would rather be where God wants me to be. And that's a hard thing to give up. And some days I don't think that. But that is where faith comes in.

So I keep thinking of Jeremiah 29:11--"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

Thanks for all the nice emails! :)

Starting to wig out....but slowly finding faith

So, it's getting towards crunch time, as my residency rank list is due at 9pm on February 27. I felt pretty good about my list, then I met with one of my mentors on Tuesday, and she kind of threw my list out of wack. Ack!

Now I'm starting to freak out and get some opinions from other people who know me and know where I would like to be and know how I felt about the different programs, some objective opinions, I suppose. I am also trying to get God's opinion. Yes, that is the most important one!

The problem with this process is that you have absolutely no assurance as to anything or anywhere. Even if a program sends you a nice letter, you wonder, did they send that to everyone? It is definitely one of the most anxiety-inducing experiences I've ever had. What do I take into account--quality of the program? Location? Residents? Attendings?

I just wish I could put my faith in something, one of the programs, anything--then it occurred to me--I should be putting my faith in God! I think that might be more difficult because I am a stupid human who likes to take control and plan my future.

I was thinking and praying about this the other day, and the verse Psalm 119:105 popped into my head. I just love the idea of God's word being a "lamp" and a "light," not a flashlight or a headlight--step by step our path is illuminated. I may not know where I'm going or what's ahead of me, but as long as I walk in this little circle of enlightenment and hope and faith, I think I'll be ok. I know I'll be ok.

The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, February 7, 2008

So, I was going to put up a picture of the medical center for everyone's benefit, but then I ended up forgetting, so alas, no picture. But I know what it looks like!

The city: Obviously I love Columbus. No traffic, affordable living, tolerable weather, things to do. The question I must answer is whether or not I want to stay here for 6 more years.

The program: I also think very highly of the OSU program. The program is huge (like 75 or so faculty), and the residents get great exposure to all the surgical specialities. They also do a lot of endoscopy, which is nice. The residents have a mandatory year of research/advanced degree, so the program is automatically 6 years atleast. All the attendings are super cool. And the hospitals are fantastic as well, including the James, the Ross, and Columbus Children's.

The residents: The residents at OSU are awesome. Fun, friendly, down to earth, midwest folks (I have also heard this from people not from OSU, so I'm not just biased!). They do have to pay for parking ($$) and don't get too much money for food. They also have 2 weeks off during the first year, and 4 weeks off each year after that (but you do have to take all your weeks together during second year, which stinks).

That's all I can think of to say right now. I'm so excited to be finished with interviews! Thanks to the three of you that read this.

I will soon be completing and submitting my Rank Order List, and the waiting will begin.

I think I will continue to use this blog just for fun, random thoughts, as opposed to just my travels. We'll see if I can pick up some more readers...

Almost Finished....

It's hard to believe that I have been in so many freaking airports and so many cities over the past 2.5 months. Since I started this whole shindig on November 13, I have been on 32 different plane flights. The only positive is that I have now mastered the airplane nap, as long as I don't have random people talking to me about the "Tao Theory of Sex and Longevity." Yeesh!

I only have one interview left, which is at Ohio State (aka: no traveling), and is this Thursday, February 7 (aka: miss a day of work). I'm actually pretty pumped about the interview, because I like the OSU program and I've heard that your home interview is much less stressful. Seriously, though, at this point in the game, I could be interviewing at Harvard at UCSF at the same time, and I would have about as much stress as a termite. Yeah, not sure where that came from.

In other news, I started my Surgical Intensive Care Unit rotation today. I'm trying not to judge a rotation based on the first day....because, well, to say it nicely, it was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Important Dates in my Life:

February 27: Rank list due
March 8: Performing wedding ceremony
March 16: Attending second wedding ceremony
March 20: Match Day
May 24: Attending third wedding ceremony
June 5: Medical School Commencement

Let the countdown begin (or continue, rather)! :)

Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine, January 31, 2008

The city: The city of Portland, Maine has about 60,000 people, with about 200,000 in the Greater Portland area. I had some free time to walk around the city prior to our pre-interview dinner, and my conclusion was this: Portland is a small, liberal, quirky, hippy, coastal city. It just has kind of a weird feel. It's about 2 hours from Boston, and many people fly out of Boston because it's too difficult and too expensive to fly out of Portland (the airport has a total of 8 gates). According to the residents, there are a lot of other things to do in the area, including skiing and water sports, arts, looking at lighthouses, etc. It is a moderately affordable city to live in, and has this weird rule about no alcohol in the streets (see above sign).

The residents: The Maine Med program takes 4 categorical residents per year, and they seemed pretty happy. Most are from the east coast, although there was a decent number from the midwest, actually, including one from OSU. About two-thirds are married, and 3 of the residents have kids. The residents either live in downtown Portland, South Portland, or in the suburbs. They also like seafood quite a bit.

Sidenote: When we went out to dinner the night before, the other applicant that was there (yes, there were only 2 of us at the dinner, and 3 total at the interview), got the lobster...perhaps I should have gotten the lobster since I was in freaking Maine, but it just kind of creeps me out. When it was served, I just felt like it was staring at me from across the table with those beady little eyes. Freaky. I opted for the lamb, which, in all honesty, was probably the worst lamb I have ever eaten (and I would consider myself pretty much a lamb connoisseur). Atleast I didn't have to pay for it, and the chocolate tort was amazing.

The program: So, the Maine Med program is 5 years straight through, with the option for some research along the way if the residents want it. It is a Level I trauma center (Kimberly I knew you would like this), and because of the area, they tend to get some weird traumas, including moose accidents, people getting wrapped up in lobster and fish nets, and snowmobile accidents. Interesting. It seems like Maine Med tends to train mostly general surgeons, and about 50% go on to group or private practice, and the chiefs that are going on to fellowships this year are heading into breast, endocrine, and MIS.