I've decided to chronicle Joel's experiences as he interviews. If this bores you, feel free to skip these posts. :)
Today was his first interview: VCU in Richmond, VA. It was kind of fun for him to return to his previous stomping grounds from when he was at University of Richmond for undergrad.
Initial Thoughts:
Pros: Joel LOVES Richmond, a very nice facility (really nice PICU & NICU), complete electronic records, residents all seemed nice and appeared to enjoy it there, they appear to have lives outside of residency as well
Cons: Geography- 4 hours away from Thompson Grandparents & 9 hours away from Stuetz Grandparents. (That's too far for a weekend trip home to Syracuse) & it's slightly more expensive to live there (although the foreclosure rate is on the higher side, so we might be able to find something).
Bottom Line: Joel walked away really liking it and would be happy if he ended up matching there.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Residency Process
Prior to meeting Joel the world of medicine was very foreign to me. In fact, I rarely if ever even went to a doctor- school physicals were just about it. The process of applying for residency is another one of those mysteries of medicine. I get asked a lot how it works, so I thought I would take a minute to explain its inner workings.
Ok, so you have 4 years of medical school. The last 2 years of medical school you rotate through many areas/specialties- this gives you the chance to experience tons and get an idea for what you are interested in specializing. In the case of Joel- he's known he's wanted to do Pediatrics since before medical school started. He's just been playing around with what specialty within pediatrics.
At the beginning of 4th year (this past summer) we started making lists of where he wanted to apply for residency. The decision of how many places to apply to is somewhat of an art as well. It depends on how marketable you think you are and what type of places you're applying to (if your specialty is extremely competitive & the ranking of top schools). Some people can apply to over 50 places. We're lucky because Joel did really well on Step 1 & 2 of his Boards, and had high grades. Pediatrics is also not a very competitive specialty (Dermatology being one of the most competitive). We were looking at applying to about 15 places, but his adviser told him 11 would be enough. We went with 13 to be a little more on the safe side. (I've heard too many horror stories of not matching).
The application is due Nov. 1st, but you really want it in by September because they start interviewing early. Your goal is to hear from about half to two-thirds of the schools requesting an interview with them. We were incredibly blessed to hear back from all 13 of our schools, but will probably choose not to interview at all of them.
Now the fun part begins- you go to each of the interviews and see which places fits you. You interview, meet the other residents and tour the facilities. After all the interviews you rank all of the schools in order of where you would prefer to go - #1 being your first choice. The schools also rank all of the students they interviewed.
This is where the magic and a little bit of voodoo occurs. It all goes in a computer and it tries to match up everyone with their highest rankings to the school's highest rankings. On the 3rd Wednesday in March ("Match Day") everyone assembles and opens a letter that informs them where they'll be going for residency. It's quite the event.
It is possible to not match and then you have to scramble and find any openings there are - they may not even be in your specialty. I'm hoping to avoid that step.
Now you understand when I mean it's a long, complicated process. If you want to further specialize then you have to go through a similar process for a fellowship. So, after this year we're looking at 3 years of residency and then a possible 3 more years of a fellowship.
Ok, so you have 4 years of medical school. The last 2 years of medical school you rotate through many areas/specialties- this gives you the chance to experience tons and get an idea for what you are interested in specializing. In the case of Joel- he's known he's wanted to do Pediatrics since before medical school started. He's just been playing around with what specialty within pediatrics.
At the beginning of 4th year (this past summer) we started making lists of where he wanted to apply for residency. The decision of how many places to apply to is somewhat of an art as well. It depends on how marketable you think you are and what type of places you're applying to (if your specialty is extremely competitive & the ranking of top schools). Some people can apply to over 50 places. We're lucky because Joel did really well on Step 1 & 2 of his Boards, and had high grades. Pediatrics is also not a very competitive specialty (Dermatology being one of the most competitive). We were looking at applying to about 15 places, but his adviser told him 11 would be enough. We went with 13 to be a little more on the safe side. (I've heard too many horror stories of not matching).
The application is due Nov. 1st, but you really want it in by September because they start interviewing early. Your goal is to hear from about half to two-thirds of the schools requesting an interview with them. We were incredibly blessed to hear back from all 13 of our schools, but will probably choose not to interview at all of them.
Now the fun part begins- you go to each of the interviews and see which places fits you. You interview, meet the other residents and tour the facilities. After all the interviews you rank all of the schools in order of where you would prefer to go - #1 being your first choice. The schools also rank all of the students they interviewed.
This is where the magic and a little bit of voodoo occurs. It all goes in a computer and it tries to match up everyone with their highest rankings to the school's highest rankings. On the 3rd Wednesday in March ("Match Day") everyone assembles and opens a letter that informs them where they'll be going for residency. It's quite the event.
It is possible to not match and then you have to scramble and find any openings there are - they may not even be in your specialty. I'm hoping to avoid that step.
Now you understand when I mean it's a long, complicated process. If you want to further specialize then you have to go through a similar process for a fellowship. So, after this year we're looking at 3 years of residency and then a possible 3 more years of a fellowship.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Chocolate Death
I'm in charge of the treat for Young Women's in church today. I went with a chocolate lovers paradise- if this looks gross to you then you probably prefer fruity things to chocolate things (like Joel). It's quite simple: Brownie Mix, M & M's, Snickers on one half and 3 Musketeers on the other with 2 layers of melted chocolate chips. They're called Goblin Bars- probably because they will take away your soul - or at least cause a serious sugar rush.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Bragging Rights
I figure if I'm not allowed to brag about my husband, who is? Joel just received interview request #12 & #13 which means that ALL 13 schools he applied to asked him for an interview. This includes the #1 pediatric hospital in the country (CHOP- in Phillie). I don't think he actually wants to go there, but it's fun just to see if you can get an interview, and he did!! I'm so proud of him- what a smarty pants!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Germies
I don't consider myself much of a germ-a-phobe, but when our principal gave us the fabulous news that 5 kids had been sent home with the Swine Flu I began to be keenly aware of the germ situation. During chorus a kid on the top riser sneezed (mouth open wide) down onto the 4 risers below him- the sneeze was visible if you know what I mean and all I could think of was - "Where is my hand sanitizer? I need to drench myself in it."
Monday, October 5, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
4 Generations
Last night Nathan met his great-grandma Slovacek for the first and most likely last time. As we sat there with four generations in the nursing home I couldn't help but think about one life just beginning as another was ending. Joel's grandma is slipping away. She's been suffering from Alzheimer's for quite a few years and this past week she fell and broke her hip. You could argue that she's been gone for a long time and that her body is finally being put to rest. Her moments on this earth can now be measured in days and possibly hours.
Since last night I have been pondering about the topic of death. It sounds morbid, but there is something so mysterious and complex about death and yet it is so simple at the same time. When someone dies that we love or have known there is always a sense of loss. Even when we don't know them personally, stories of people losing their life touch us. We focus on it a lot- if you watch the news there are always stories detailing a natural disaster or accident, and the number of lives lost are always listed as almost a measure of the significance of the event. When someone else dies it reminds us of our own mortality and how quickly we can lose it. It makes us (hopefully) want to make our time here on earth more meaningful and live it to the fullest. It reminds us of how much we love those around us. I felt the same way when my Grammy Stuetz died when I was a Freshman in high school.
In cases such as Grandma Slovacek & Grammy Stuetz it's kind of an odd feeling to want them to die quickly without pain and yet still be holding on. You know that it is for the best and wish them well, but somehow their missing presence leaves a vacancy in your life. I think that the knowledge that they are going to a better place to be with their family that has already passed on makes the sense of loss not only manageable but a calming, peaceful reassurance.
I was listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing "Come, Come Ye Saints" today in conference and because of these previous meditations the last verse really touched me:
Since last night I have been pondering about the topic of death. It sounds morbid, but there is something so mysterious and complex about death and yet it is so simple at the same time. When someone dies that we love or have known there is always a sense of loss. Even when we don't know them personally, stories of people losing their life touch us. We focus on it a lot- if you watch the news there are always stories detailing a natural disaster or accident, and the number of lives lost are always listed as almost a measure of the significance of the event. When someone else dies it reminds us of our own mortality and how quickly we can lose it. It makes us (hopefully) want to make our time here on earth more meaningful and live it to the fullest. It reminds us of how much we love those around us. I felt the same way when my Grammy Stuetz died when I was a Freshman in high school.
In cases such as Grandma Slovacek & Grammy Stuetz it's kind of an odd feeling to want them to die quickly without pain and yet still be holding on. You know that it is for the best and wish them well, but somehow their missing presence leaves a vacancy in your life. I think that the knowledge that they are going to a better place to be with their family that has already passed on makes the sense of loss not only manageable but a calming, peaceful reassurance.
I was listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing "Come, Come Ye Saints" today in conference and because of these previous meditations the last verse really touched me:
And Should we die before our journey ends, Happy day! All is well!
We then are free from toil and sorrow, too; With the just we shall dwell!
But if our lives are spared again to see the Saints their rest obtain,
Oh, how we'll make this chorus swell- All is well! All is well!
We then are free from toil and sorrow, too; With the just we shall dwell!
But if our lives are spared again to see the Saints their rest obtain,
Oh, how we'll make this chorus swell- All is well! All is well!
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