Shaking Off the Rust...

This week was my first week back, and let's just say that I was a wee bit rusty. One would think that with only a two week break, I would be able to hop back into the old swing of things, picking up where I left off.  But it actually feels like I've taken a couple steps backwards. All that knowledge that's been building up over the past year? Gone. Well, not entirely, but I'm definitely a bit slow. Slow answering questions, slow remembering my physical exam, and slow moving about the clinic. Total slow motion. And after only TWO WEEKS! That's all it took! I can't imagine what a whole year off would do.

And that's a good question. Where will all this medical knowledge go if I take a year or a year and a half off? To me, that's the scariest thing about interrupting my medical education with a Masters. I know so many people who get their Masters in Public Health or do a year of research, and they come back just fine. They say it takes a little bit to get back into the groove, but by residency they are all ready to go. I guess I'm just worried about those first two or three rotations fourth year that actually count toward my residency application. These are called "Acting Internships" or AIs, and they are often done in the specialty of your choice. These are apparently where you meet members of the faculty in your specialty and get letters of recommendation, advice, etc. If I take a year off and then start back up with a surgical AI? No bueno. Especially considering I don't even know where the bathroom is in UNC Hospitals...

I always talk about how this year has gone by so fast, but in the next week or two we will meet about fourth year scheduling (yikes!). Unfortunately, I won't hear back from Masters programs until the end of March, which is the same time that our fourth year preferences are due. So I will have to apply for all my rotations next year without knowing whether I'll be in North Carolina or not. I would have loved to find out from schools first, but oh well. So, over the next few weeks, I will be choosing the specialties I want to spend a month in, while fulfilling all of UNC's requirements. I will have to do a month in surgical critical care most likely, as well as electives of my choice (like Radiology and Dermatology - both which I think would be extremely high yield). Half of school is planning ahead, and like my Mother always says, I was born with a life plan already in mind.

It's crazy to think that we are more than halfway through the Asheville program at this point. But, I can't meditate on this too long. Time to get back to work and shake off the rust!