2/3 of a Doctor!

I'm still in surgery for another 4 weeks, but thought I'd send out an update, since a lot has happened since I last wrote. I realized this week that I'm now less than a year away from graduating. My ID badge expires (and we graduate) on May 19, 2006 - one year from this past Thursday. So, as someone in the class below us pointed out, I am now 2/3 of a doctor. (Don't ask me what that actually means, though!)

When I last wrote I was just about to start a run of surgical placements. I started with 4 weeks of neurosurgery, split 50/50 between pediatrics and adults. I had a fantastic experience with both doctors I worked with. Before I started, I had been second-guessing the decision to do that placement and wondering if I'd made a mistake. But I know it was the right place for me to be, even if it's not the typical thing to do when you're interested in general surgery. I learned a lot and had a great time, and both doctors and their staff were very affirming about my surgical aspirations. They all seemed to agree that it was a good fit for me.

After those 4 weeks, I did 2 weeks of plastic surgery, which I didn't enjoy as much. I got lots of practice with small and precise stitching, which was good, but other than that didn't really enjoy the placement. I did get a lot of time to study during those weeks, though, which was very helpful. And every time I was on call, it was for general surgery, so I got to do some of that in the midst of it all. Yesterday I just finished a 2 week block of orthopedic surgery, and I enjoyed that one a lot more. The staff and residents were all great, and they really made you feel like they appreciated your being there. I got a fair bit of hands-on experience with putting casts on, and helping to fix broken bones, as well as assisting with joint replacement surgeries and other things like that.

Next week I start general surgery, which will go for 4 weeks and take me to the end of my surgical placements for awhile. I'm looking forward to these weeks. I've already been getting to know some of the general surgery staff, and they know that I'm interested in general surgery. It will be a busy 4 weeks, but I think it'll be good.

In the midst of all these placements, which involve a fair bit of studying on top of the clinical work, I'm continuing to study for my US licensing exam (or at least the first exam of several that I'll be doing over the next number of years in order to get licensed in the US). I'm aiming to write it at the end of July. It's challenging to balance all the studying I'm needing to do, especially when I'm often really tired by the time I get home from the hospital. But it's been going well, overall, and the Lord has been giving me pockets of time where I suddenly find that I have a chance to study when I didn't think that would be the case.

Overall, things are going very well, and I know I'm in the right place. I have been getting pretty tired, though, and at times wonder if I'll make it through all this training. There is a lot of pressure on us a lot of the time, and we're constantly in new situations with new supervisors, having to figure things out all over again. And we're up early, working long hours, sometimes up all night, too, and still expected to put in time the next day. So it's challenging, and I'm finding more and more that I really need the grace of God to keep going. In talking with my classmates, it seems that they're all feeling that way right about now, regardless of what placements they're currently in. It's encouraging to know that it's not just me, and that just about everyone goes through it, and they all (or most!) get through it to the other side. But it is kind of tough slogging at the moment. The Lord has given me some precious Scriptures to hold on to during this time, and there's grace for each day and each new thing as it comes. I certainly appreciate your prayers, though.

I'm blessed this weekend to not be on call, and to even have a long weekend, since Monday's a holiday in Canada. When we put the call schedule together, none of us realized that this was the long weekend, but I just happened to get it off. So I have 3 days off, and I'm very thankful for that! I will do some studying, but I also plan to take a break and just regroup a little bit.

Just to project ahead a few weeks, after my surgical placements are done, I'll move into a somewhat less intense stretch for a few months. Psychiatry is next, for 6 weeks, followed by a 2 week holiday in early August, and then 6 weeks of Family Medicine. I'm glad that I have those 2 placements in the summer, because I might actually see the light of day! It'll be a bit of a break, even though I don't get much actual time off.

I think that pretty much covers it. Thanks so much to all of you who are praying. As someone said to me last week, this is a marathon, and I need lots of grace and endurance to run this race. I so appreciate having people who stand with me in this.

Blessings

Jessica