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Sunday, September 28, 2014

Out of the Comfort Zone

It has been a couple weeks since I have gotten a chance to really sit down and blog. I have done so much in the last few weeks and I will try to write about them soon.
This weekend was a perfect last weekend in Missouri. I watched the little ones play ball on Friday night and then spent the rest of the evening drinking wine with my mom, grandma, and sisters while enjoying some girl talk. Saturday I had lunch at my grandparents and of course played a last couple games of pitch(the family card game.) That was also the day I finished getting everything ready. I am very thankful for my step mom and dad helping me switch suitcases and making sure I was ready to go this morning. I was able to round out my evening on Saturday by having dinner with my Mom and Grandma. I spent my weekend surrounded with some of the most important people in my life. 

Today marks my first day on my Out-of-Town rotation in Charlotte, NC. I have been looking forward to this experience since I applied for it last spring. I scheduled my flight and arranged where I was going to stay months ago and so this week when I actually had to start getting ready to go it felt like it crept up on me. This is a whole new experience for me and as my grandpa said, "a chance to get out of my comfort zone." I grew up in Missouri and have always lived within a couple hours of my family. I have never been on a plane alone, been without my a vehicle/depended on public transportation, or been away from my own bed for longer than a week. This month all of that changes.
My plane took off at 6 am this morning and I was lucky to have my dad see me off and make sure I got through security. My layover was in Atlanta which is a huge airport that requires you to take a tram from terminal to terminal. I managed to get through my morning without any major events and was picked up by my shuttle service in Charlotte. I have spent the day unpacking, walking the neighborhood, and trying out what will be my daily walk to the hospital. The area is absolutely beautiful and the walk is peaceful. I look forward to everything getting started tomorrow.
I have been incredibly lucky to have so much support from friends and family(and friends of family) through my adventures. It is overwhelming how many people are excited for me. So far, everything has been very smooth and I feel at peace. I look forward to continuing to get out of my normal comfort zone over the next couple of week and sharing this adventure with everyone else!

Monday, September 1, 2014

Pediatric Emergency Medicine

What an amazing, stressful, crazy month this has been. I have seen so many different illnesses, helped so many families, and grown as a future physician. As I finished up my last night in the ER, I left feeling accomplished. My final day, I left right around an hour late. I saw 15 kids during my shift which is quite a few for a medical student and worked as hard as I could. The virus going around town has really kept the hospital hopping and the ER super busy.
On my last day I saw a collection of everything. A girl who cut most of the tip of a finger off, kids struggling to breath, appendicitis, lacerations, fractures, a kid who swallowed a penny, babies with fevers, motor vehicle accidents. From spinal taps to stitches to casting to breathing treatments. One by one I got to take care of them.
It has been an incredible journey and I am very thankful to those who made it a good experience for me. 
Next I prepare for my upcoming licensing exam on the 15th and start preparing to leave for North Carolina at the end of the month. I have to find luggage, a suit, business-casual dresses, and more scrubs. I'm working on getting better at curling my hair and trying different looks. It is all about making a good first impression as I start doing interviews in the upcoming months.
Today was the first day of a new month and it started with a little bump in the road. After making my balanced breakfast, I headed off to the gym. Half way there, I realized I had gotten a flat tire! I wasn't too worried initially and pulled over to the side to call AAA for assistance and realized I had left my cell phone at home. Something I do all too often. I learned to change a tire when I first started driving and so I set to work. Turns out I'm not very strong and couldn't get the lug nuts off. A couple driving by took pity on me and stopped to give me a hand. We got the tire off, the temporary tire on, and they offered to follow me all the way to the tire shop to make sure I got there. In a mean world, I have been helped by complete strangers several times while living in the city. I am constantly thankful for those who offer to help others even when they get nothing back in return. With the help of a couple strangers, I got my day back on track and still got my workout in!