In My 20s Tuesday + Post-It Notes: Still On The Job Hunt

I know I've been super MIA. These things happen, especially in the summer time. My biggest reason for being absent is issues with my laptop. I can't get it to charge. But I've convince my mother to let me make use of hers for a couple weeks til I can figure something out. So hopefully, I'm actually back in action now! I've missed the blogosphere and look forward to catching up on everyone else's blogs as well.

***In My 20s Tuesday is all about things that should matter (maybe) to someone in their 20s. It's about life as we head into real adulthood. It's about laying the groundwork for a life: starting a career, setting up a home, starting a life with someone, etc. It's about things that will affect our lives down the road: politics, current events, pop culture, etc. Well, it's not about all those things at once (that'd be near impossible, lol). But hopefully I'll reach someone in their 20s who's looking for someone to feel what they're going through.***

Today's post comes because I still don't have a job. This is not exactly a surprise because everyone knows the situation in the current job market. Also, I chose to leave medical school during graduation season so I'm also competing with those just entering the workforce for the first time.

But things have changed in the last week. Before, I was only applying to jobs that fit my criteria for my career plan. But once June ended, I expanded. I'm now looking for anything that will enhance my skill set for the job I want. So that basically includes anything I'm qualified for in hospital or clinical setting as well and any office/secretarial job. It's kinda of disheartening to move away from my dream. I'm still applying for research jobs, but that's not enough anymore. I hope I hear something soon from anyone. Because of this doesn't work, then starting in August, I'll be applying for literally anything. I'll even do sales associate. There's nothing wrong with that job, I'm just hesitant to do work that doesn't enhance my skill set for my dream career.

But I've also got something else in the works. My pastor and I have been doing research to put together a proposal to get some of the funding allocated in the health care reform law for clinics. My community could really use a strong medical presence. Having my own clinic has always been one of my dreams, and if I could press fast-forward on that while helping the community I grew up in, I would be just as happy as could be!

Also, I've been up to some interesting things in the time since I've paused blogging, hopefully I can get some of that down in future blog posts!

Delivering Babies Tonight!!!

Well, maybe not actually sitting down there with a catcher's mitt on. But I will be in the Labor & Delivery Unit at RMH here in Rockford tonight from 5 pm until either 5 am or when I decide I have to go sleep. I'm so excited. I've said before that I want to do OB/GYN and the only other option I can see right now is Family Medicine with OB priveleges.

That's why tonight is so special. They have set up a shadow thing for us. They being the M3s (that's third year med students at U of I) and us being the M2s. Some of us have expressed interest in shadowing them while on rotation calls. This was supposed to happen for ER, surgery, and OB/GYN. I'm not sure how it's going for the other two, but for OB/GYN, we're actually getting in there. Rockford has a pretty high birth rate (sorta). And so I can expect to see a least a couple of deliveries tonight! I may actually be in the room, seeng that moment where someone takes their first breath.

I am soooooo excited, have I mentioned that? All I've been wanting is to see if this goal I've had for all these years is really based on what I think it is. Medicine has been a logical and emotional choice for me. One of the few choices I've made that is actually a good combo of both. And I like the idea of practicing medicine in one of the few areas that is almost always a happy occasion. I'm so excited! Deliveries, c-sections, tubal ligations, oh my!

Seeing Patients in Clinic

At U of I, at least here is Rockford, we have what is called a Family Medicine obligation. For us second year medical students (M2s), that means we spend one half day a week in the clinic. We started this even before we had completed all of our work for History and Physical Examination knowledge.

As we continue to work, we are learning things about how to interview a patient, write-up a report, diagnose problems, and prescribe medication. Epocrates is my friend. Epocrates is this fabulous application for PCs, Macs, Blackberrys, iPhones, etc. It's so useful. If you want to check it out, go to http://www.epocrates.com/. This site has everything you could possibly need to get through clinic as a medical student.

I used it today to diagnose a patient. Of course, I had to have the basic clinical knowledge. I had a thought of what her diagnosis might be. I pulled out my Blackberry, hopped on Epocrates, and looked up the disease. I was informed of the basic symptoms, what I'd see on exam, and expected patient history. I was told about the best ways to treat it, drug interactions, and counterindications. That's just the tip of the iceberg. If you are going to go to medical school or join the medical profession, get Epocrates.

I am just really enjoying the experience though. Each new experience (at least the ones where the woman is pregnant or needs a pap smear) brings me closer to realizing that I'm interested in OB for real. This makes me happy. I'm just the kind of person that gets happy when at the end I want the same thing I wanted in the beginning.