One, more, STEP

Seems like I've been studying medicine my whole life. Oh wait, I have! And it seems that it really all comes down to this set of two exams...Step2 "clinical knowledge" CK, and Step2 "clinical skills" CS. The entire reason for being comes down to two day of exams, one live with patient actors (and I use that term very loosely), and one "dead" day with a computer for 9 hours. Then sometime this fall, two email messages, and attached PDF's announcing the fate...Yay, or nay, to have the opportunity to graduate, get the MD in hand and move forward into the next part of training, the residency.

Rotations have been great. I'm in my element. I love the patient, the clinic, the learning, the relationships with staff, the smells, sounds and activity around healthcare. Lots of people are disgruntled in the field of healthcare, but I largely ignore them. Rotations are signs of things to come, residency and practice beyond. This really is the essence of why I did this in the first place. I am encouraged.

I thought she said "your ass" when I first heard the description of "what next" from one of my classmates. Actually E-R-A-S (residency) application. It is truly time consuming, but a necessary evil and it too continues getting ready for the 2012 match with 35,000 close medical friends who will also apply. Letters, documentation, work history, blah, blah, blah. Seems like I've been filing paperwork my whole life too. Oh wait; I HAVE!

So I study, and study, and study some more. It's a race against time, knowledge attrition, creeping dementia, boredom, mind numbing fear and a touch of ADHD. It's a balance between sitting for long hours, exercise, sleep, eating right and knowing just how much caffeine I can bear without overdosing.  It's keeping an eye on the prize and doing what it takes, even if I should have found "another career" (- career counselor, 1977). This 2nd step isn't the last step, but it's the one that really counts and "bookends" the process of the past 4 years. It's exhilarating, and frightening in one well wrapped package. My date with destiny coming very soon. Emails forthcoming.