Getting Closer

This week it hit me.  I will be leaving Portland in a relatively short time.  Actually 3 months, exactly!  I don't know how time all of a sudden flew by, but it did.  I can't sit idle an longer waiting for things to happen, I need to make them happen.  I need to spend time with my friends while I can, because things will be different after May.  Yeah, I plan to come back to Portland after med school, but things won't be the same.  I will be working longer hours, my friends will be in different places, as will I.  I really need to cherish the dwindling moments I have left here!
I have an eventful weekend planned, which will include working on my scrap book - which I hope to start and finish in 3 months. My first one took 4 years to finish!
I am also working on getting everything finalized for DMU.  Another submission of transcripts to the school, a background check, and the FAFSA.  The list is long, I am used to this kind of thing from the application process, so it is becoming second nature. 
Work is going fine.  I am getting better at my phlebotomy skills, and more confident with patients.  I had a first today - a patient fainted during the draw.  It was exciting but not too dramatic nor very eventful (she fell on the arm of the chair and I kept pressure on her arm.)  Every new event that I handle gets me more excited for what I will encounter in school and clincials.  I can't wait to see where this will take me!

Dangers of eating out

Living in Portland, there is an enormous list of gluten-friendly options.  Check out this site to prove it. I have become a regular at some places and have had good dinners with no issues.  It is easy to forget that I am so sensitive to gluten.  So, the other night we went to one of my favorite Portland chains that was super busy due to the holidays.  We had a couple issues with our plates, but nothing major and they seemed to be receptive to taking care of the gluten bun that came on my plate.  So I ate the dinner staying in my pretend world that nothing can harm me, not even gluten.  Of course later that night, I woke up with an attack of all the symptoms of gluten. For me, this reaction (though not as dramatic as the initial) will last 2 weeks to a month.

The dangerous word for me right now is complacent.  I have been eating out so much, and had no issues that I forget how important and major this is.  Celiac disease is not something to mess with, I do not want to be dealing  with the "hangover" of gluten constantly.  I want my body to be healthy so that I can fight off other bugs that I may be exposed to.  Working in a hospital, that is a very large number of bugs.

Since I am working on saving money, moving back to home made food is relatively easy.  In some ways it feels like defeat to me.  I want to master this gluten and prove (I'm not sure to whom) that I don't have to take any special precautions.  Of course this is wrong, I'm afraid gluten will be in my nightmares forever.  And of course I have to take very special precautions and be very careful every time I order food - even if I am a regular at a place.

Maybe it was too much time spent perusing Student Doctor Network yesterday, or maybe all this is finally sinking in.  I want to give a little more details and maybe some advice on how I got here and how other students can too.

The first part is to do your research, know what requirements the schools have, as well as the type of students they accept.  I did this by spending lots of time on individual school websites as well as AACOM and AMCAS.  I talked to my undergraduate advisor and other students.  I had a bit of a challenge initially since I am not a traditional student, I didn't know many others going through the process.  I was initially ready to apply during the spring of 2009.  I had all of the requirements complete and was waiting for my MCAT result.  The one part that I had not yet researched was my heart, and between some family events and my place in life, I realized that I was not quite ready to apply.

I decided to wait a year and apply in 2010.  That year was not spent waiting at all.  Besides college, it has been my busiest year yet.  I am volunteering with a gluten intolerance group, something that I feel very strongly about.  I am working full time and I found a way to shadow and meet several physicians.  Also in that year, I retook the MCAT.  Sometimes all of these activities led to 14+ hour days filled with writing volunteer emails on my work breaks.  It was exhausting, but very fulfilling!  I learned more than I though possible about the world and about myself.  I have grown more confident and more ready than ever for the next step of medical school.

A couple notes of advice for those who are approaching these steps.

1. Know who you are and what you are passionate about, you will need to explain this over and over to many different people.
2. Observe proper etiquette - always.  Send thank you notes to pretty much every person who helps you.  Be respectful to everyone.  For example, MA's can be a good ally if you spend much time in a physicians office. Be especially careful during interviews, you never know who might be in your interview or might have a say (especially in small towns).
3. Spend time on the details, but don't worry about the details.  For example, edit edit edit all of your essays, especially the primary one.  Make sure you have the correct schools name on the essay or paperwork that you are submitting.  With so many secondaries, I was able to copy and paste a few paragraphs but had to really check to make sure it fit the school's prompt and didn't have a different schools name. 
1. Dressing for the interview is interesting. Wearing nice, professional clothes, it was hard to feel like myself.  It was hard to choose something that fit my personality.  I also had to learn about business professional dress, I had little idea of the details of it. As a biology major at an oregon school, learning business etiquette and dress was not covered.  We were the ultimate future tree hugers anyways.  As I enter the business"ey" world, I am realizing how important these detials are.  I think it is an area that should be covered for all majors, we all enter the business world after college, no matter our major.
2. Back to "don't worry about the details."  I hear questions often of "how many activities did you list in your primary?" or "what exactly were the questions asked at this school?".  First, there is no point to compare numbers, it is quality that counts and everyone is unique.  Especially if you are "being yourself" through this process. For the questions, it was nice to have a general idea (espeically of the list 3 positives and 3 negatives of your personality).  Beyond that I found that answering on the spot helped me answer most questions with an insightful answer. 

Three for three

I realize that I need to post here more often. I will work on that, I have no excuses since the business of applying is over.

So, for the news... I got into all three schools that I interviewed at! I felt like I was too blunt in the last 2 interviews, but they still liked me. I guess they could tell that I was being truthful and that I am totally ready to go to medical school. So the big question remains, where will I go next year? I feel blessed that I have the opportunity to make a decision. I thought long and hard about the decision, made a pros and con list of the three schools. What really made the decision was my heart and my boyfriend being okay with it.

And Des Moines University, here I come! I already made the first payment to hold my seat, and I'm trying to get mentally ready for the weather. We will have a move next summer and a "small" trip before that. I plan to use this blog to keep everyone posted about our trip and the adventure of school following.

Thinking back

Right now, things are sailing along smoothly. I just got another interview to Western University of Health Sciences. At times, this seems like it is too easy. When I look back at the long hours, the frustration, and the worry, I realize that I sat everything up and this is just reaping the benefits.

At work I began reading a textbook on Histology and Cell Biology. Sometimes, I have lots of downtime at my new location. Just as I got to page 2, patients began coming in and they didn't stop. Yesterday turned out to be the busiest day ever for my lab! It is good that we are busy, but it was a bit crazy too. I am able to get most of the pokes, even on very tough patients. Of course, I still have a ways to go before I can say that I'm experienced and really good.

Fall is coming, and the rain is beginning. I think I am ready for it. A move to indoors tasks which means organizing and preparing to consolidate and move. Projects that I have left partly finished will get worked on… starting NOW!

ACCEPTED!!!

I got accepted to my first school! Of course that would be Des Moines University. The nagging thought in the back of an applicant's head is, "what if I don't get in anywhere"? I didn't have to wait long to get my answer. One interview and one acceptance under my belt! The most refreshing thought here is that I will eventually be a doctor! At least one school thinks I can make it!

It is still early in the process. I am still considering 3 more schools, all in the Pacific NW. I have an interview next week, and am double checking my other applications to make sure everything has been received. I just noticed that one school hadn't processed my reference letters. That would explain why I haven't heard anything from them in a while. Those double and triple checks are really important.

My plan from here is to interview at a school if I am invited. If I am accepted to any more, I will discuss it with my boyfriend and family. I know that location is very important, staying in the NW is the long term and short term goal. I also want to make sure that the school in the NW won't short me on a quality education. I have a strong feeling that this is possible, I can't wait for the schools to show me what they have to offer!

With this also comes the reality of medical school. It will be a difficult and long trip. Last week, at a pre-medical information meeting, several student doctors talked about their experience in their residencies. The reality of the second half of medical school really sunk in as they told their stories. That reality is: long weeks, always trying your best, almost always in a type of long job interview. I am nervous for this step, but I am sure that I have the support and determination to succeed here as well.

I am tough!!!

Knee Deep

I am going... going... ... to Des Moines, IA this week! Who in their right mind would be excited to go to Des Moines, but I am. I am excited about the school, their programs, and how smoothly things seem to run. I am excited to check out a new city, from what I read, it seems like an up and coming place. The other part is my interview, I have some idea of what it will be like, but a lot of unknowns - especially how I will be able to handle it. :)
I have my outfit, my shoes, I will have a new haircut. I am a new girl since recovering from at least 1, likely 2 bacterias that were attacking me last week. I do have to state how amazing antibiotics are - even though these days there are issues, how could we survive without them?

Maybe part of this excitement is that this is the first real step beyond the paperwork. I am getting closer to my goal. That short term goal is medical school, the long term goal is a life as a doctor in a small town. Having these amazing goals to work towards makes all the difficult paperwork and expense worth every minute. This really is happening!!!