Hello,
I thought I'd do a quick update as I have been sooo busy. Where am I now? I have just over 3 months until my medical finals. I am both excited and terrified. Have no idea when I will find time to study or if I can cram 5 years of teaching into my head. Little and often is my motto. If I have 5 minutes, I'll look at ECGs or something quick. There are books everywhere so I can pick them up while cooking, while laundrying and so on. I even have a bag of books in the car in case of traffic jams! Perhaps they will seep in by osmosis.
Reflecting back if someone had said the things that would happen over the 6 years I would never have believed them! However, it has NOT been as bad as I thought. And, I have absolutely LOVED LOVED it. Not all the time, many times I've wondered why on earth. I am scared of starting on my very first day as a doctor. Hopefully, I'll be OK. I'm most nervous about prescribing. Oh and the hours! We've got the European Working Time Directive which is supposed to limit hours to 48 per week. Well, I don't know any doctor doing that at all. So don't think we've got it easy and are popping home at 5! The pay has been cut via back-door methods, you'd be better off working on a checkout hourly wise. The recruitment methods are much maligned and often described as a lottery. My debt keeps me awake at night, it's a quivering, teetering on the edge level of debt, but in five months I'll be earning!
Job wise, I start my foundation years (two of them), then choose a specialty and train for another 5 or so after that. I begin with anaesthetics then geriatric medicine, general surgery, trauma & orthopaedics, emergency, ob/gyn. Very pleased with those rotations, especially as I want to do acute medicine most probably anaesthetics.
Personally, my girls are now 9 and 11. They've grown up with mum being a student, but I've been there all long vacations and have been able to pick them up and drop them off at school most of the time. I'm now two years post divorce and am getting re-married!! Very very excited indeed. I'm getting married next month, just thought I'd add another level of stress before finals! However, wedding preparations have not been at all stressful and we are loving it. He's a year ahead of me and a doctor too, though working 2 hours away.
Also I wanted to say how much MomMD has been part of my journey. It basically got me through medical school. If if wasn't for women like you I would never have applied, never have thought it possible. It's been with me all the way through. Thanks everyone!
That's it for now, breakfast calls. Take care!
Edited by MomMD (02/19/10 08:18 PM)
_________________________
President, MomMD
Connecting Women in Medicine - Welcome all physicians, resident physicians, medical students and premedical students!
Previous Topic
Index