Since I was reminiscing the other day about my husband applying to medical schools, I thought that I would also reminisce about the first two years of med school while it is still fairly fresh in my memory! I hope that this is not too boring to you!! :)
When we moved to Missouri for my hubby to start medical school, we had a son only 7 months old. Of all things, this was one of my biggest stresses and worries about medical school. Would my hubby get to spend time with his son (and me, of course!)? Were we going to be one of the only ones with kids, especially one so young? Were our families' worries about going back to school instead of concentrating on our families going to become true? Did we make the right decision? Seriously, all of this stress was so not worth it!!! :) If there is anyone else out there with these same things on your mind, my personal recommendation is . . . Don't worry about it!!! All of my ideas about being a medical school family were completely wrong!
When we showed up to orientation, we saw many people with children! A few couples from our orientation group definitely stand out to me even today . . . one couple with a 6 week old son and one couple who was expecting their first child in the spring. Just to see these two families relieved so much stress, but talking to them and getting to know them better, has done so much more!! I think you gals know who you are and I don't know if I ever really said thank you. So . . . THANK YOU!! I don't know if you ever realized what a difference you made in my life from the start of medical school, but you truly did. And, who knew that you would make an even more of a difference as our journey has progressed. Both of you (and the rest of your families) are amazing and I am a better person for knowing you! :)
Anyways . . . this time was not just the start of medical school, but also the first time that I returned to work full-time since giving birth to my son! We traveled half way across the country, left everything behind that we have ever known, and planted ourselves in a place that we had never saw ourselves being! We experienced a lot of anxiety, from making it in med school to finding childcare that we felt comfortable with to even just balancing our busy lives. I won't lie . . . . it was hard at first. The first quarter was very stressful because of trying to find this balance. The second quarter was better. We were beginning to find our balance. My hubby was back in the swing of things from being out of school for so long and he made it a point to eat dinner with us every evening and spend every Saturday morning together as a family. I was able to get more involved in the amazing organization of SAA (now known as the Student Advocate Association, but at the time called the Student Associates' Auxiliary or something like that)!! This kept me involved and busy, meeting people, helping out, and becoming more educated in the field of osteopathy. In addition, I did things with one of my co-workers who ended up becoming a very good friend and was one who truly helped to keep me grounded. And, to top things off, my son was able to find little playmates through his daycare and other med student families. By the time the third quarter came around, we were feeling very good about where we were out, we were planning a trip back home to visit family, and I was looking forward to my summer off with my boys! We had figured it out and we had survived the first year of med school! Woohoo!
Before we could leave, however, my hubby had to do his preceptorship. This worried me a little! He was going to have to stay at his preceptor site an hour and a half away. He would be home on the weekends, of course, but we have never really been apart that long before. As I look back on it, it went pretty smoothly. My son and I stayed busy preparing for our trip, wrapping things up at my office, and playing in the sun (a LOT!). We would talk with my hubby every evening, often multiple times, and we would summarize our days. Mine . . . playing in the sun, doing our weekly errands, etc. His . . . experiencing the hospital, taking patient histories, and performing rectal exams! Honestly, I am so glad that I am not the med student!! :)
We finally got to hit the road to head back home. We were on the road and living out of a suitcase for five weeks, traveling through the states of Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington. We saw a lot of family and friends and it was definitely a trip to remember!
When we got back to Missouri, my hubby had one last quarter left before he would consider himself an official second year. It was a short quarter and I don't remember too much about it . . . I guess it was not that bad!
Personally, I thought that we had made it through the worst. I had heard that the first year was the hardest. For me, not so true . . . . but, enough rambling for now! I will write about our second year later! I don't feel like writing a book today and second year was a doozy . . . so until next time . . . :)
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