Thursday, February 26, 2009

Decision Making

Today was the day that our rank lists were due. I had arrived at a list I was fairly confident in about a week ago. Yesterday I started having doubts but, after gazing at it, I made only minor changes and went to bed happy.

This morning I had more doubts. Basically I have been deciding between two specialties. One that is more narrow and I have less experience in. The experience I did have was some of my favorite parts of clerkship but it is hard to know how representative those three weeks were. The other is more broad and I have done enough time to know that I would be happy there.

Then there is location. All the programs I interviewed at are reasonable so it comes down to where we want to live.

The deadline is passed and now I just have to wait and live with the result. I know that I would be happy in any of the programs and either specialty. So why I am stressed now? I have always been happy with the gut decisions I have made in the past and I have no reason to think this will be different. I think what is bothering me is the uncertainty. Once it is over, whatever the result is, I will be happier. Just a week and a half before this theory is tested.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Touring

Bad Blogger, bad blogger.

I really have meant to stay more in touch. And I can't say that I have had nothing to talk about.

I have recently completed the CaRMS tour, a whirl wind trip around the country to interview for residency spots for those not familiar with this particular circus. I traveled from St John's Newfoundland to Vancouver BC and many spots in between; including 10 flights, a car trip, many random bed and breakfasts, hostels and couches. It was hard being away from Harold for such long periods but my mother-in-law came to help take the strain off the Hubby and everything went really well.

It was a surreal experience seeing so much of this gigantic country in such a short period, often spending less than a day in many new places. I hope to go back to many of them, but I don't think I would pick January/February. We heard "it usually isn't this cold" at almost every stop (not Vancouver of course, there were bike riders wearing t-shirts). I remain incredulous.

Now the task of trying to decide our futures. I have to rank the different programs. I applied to more than one discipline; neurology and pediatric neurology. Not really that different I know but it adds another level to the decision making. I think I have mostly arrived at a decision but I will share more about that after match day (March 9th). I don't want to upset the matching gods and inadvertently jinx myself.

In the meantime I finished surgery (though not the exam, I was in Toronto that day). The next two weeks will be Emergency and then Family. I am starting to feel a little left behind with my classmates already on the home stretch. Many of them will be on their last rotation and are focusing on the liscencing exam or vacation planning. I know the 8 weeks that I have to make up is not really very long, but I think it will feel pretty long when all my classmates have already flown the coop.*Don't worry, he is well within arms reach of my husband.