I'M BACK! Where I am now. And more.

It's hard to believe its been so long, but here is a recount of my journeys in the last (almost) year.


Since my last post (I had to read it again just to make sure I knew where I left off), A LOT has happened.  Let me begin with a flashback to whatever I can remember (everything is really fuzzy!)

One of my fondest memories on the island was playing intramural street hockey. It kept me sane and was one of my few ways of escaping the overwhelming burden of studying. I looked forward to it every week. As the season pressed on, we were very successful having only lost maybe 1 game all semester. As the playoffs approached we were determined to take down our opponents 2 final times. ( once in the semis and the other in the championship game.) To make a vague memory short, we won both games with ease and took down the competition: winning the Rossie Cup.

After the success of winning the the "cup" we only had a few weeks left in the semester before the final exams took place. And from what I remember they were difficult.

After the long hours barred up in the Annex, over-caffeinated and studying I learned that I had passed my finals. I took a deep breath and continued studying for the comprehensive science exam: better known on the island as the COMP.  The COMP is Ross's way of determining if a student is ready to take his first board exam (better known and STEP 1, more on this later). If a student passes COMP, Ross gives you the golden ticket to allow you schedule your STEP 1 test date. As you might have guessed I prepared the best I could for COMP, for they could ask you any question they wanted, from any discipline or subject from any topic ever covered (or not covered) in medical school in the first 2 years. Having taken this test almost a year ago, the only thing I remember about the exam is a staggering number of questions about a very specific disease that I happened to know a lot about.  If the test was 500 questions over 4 hours at least 15 of them were about gout. And for a test that's trying to test a broad range of categories, gout is NOT what you want to test me on...  but I'll take it.

It turned out that I knew enough about gout to push my score high enough to earn my "golden ticket." And yes, I celebrated.  I didn't put a lot of emphasis on this exam in writing  because I didn't find it particularly difficult.  On the contrary though, many of classmates did find it difficult, and failed the first time around.  I earned my golden ticket for the most difficult test I'd soon have to take (STEP 1), but  I also earned my ticket home. My ticket off the island was the only thing standing between myself and the sweet soil of Detroit Metro Airport.

 I sat in the plane on the runway one last time. I sat thinking to myself, I'll never have to pay $7 for a gallon of milk, buy my electricity from the grocery store, or deal with cockroaches in my silverware drawer ever again. (true story, not sure if I mentioned it in the blog earlier, so I'll have to check!). I couldn't help but think of the story I heard from the semester earlier from a friend of mine about her last plane ride off the the island. So here's her story.

She was sitting in the same position as myself, boarding her last plane from the island, and saying goodbye to the island for the last time. The engines roared and the plane slowly crept into its position on the runway. The captain hit the throttle and the engines roared as loud as they could and the plane began down the runway. Seconds later the plane dips its nose, the runway screeches , as every passenger catches their heads against the seat in front of them . The plane slammed on its brakes! Could you even imagine? You are seconds from being in the air and on your way home only to hear the cry of the rubber against the humid 120 degree asphalt against your eardrums. She got Rossed for the last time.  An aside to explain the word "Rossed"

(Being Rossed is a collective term created by Ross students for anything bad or unfortunate that ever happens on the island.) Some ways of using Rossed includes, but is not limited to:  "That exam was brutal, they never even covered that topic in lecture! I got Rossed." or " They raised tuition again!? We all got Rossed!" or "the toilets are bubbling up like cauldrons from the men's (and women's) bathrooms again! I'm wearing my white coat and I have to swim in knee deep feces-water out of the loo! ROSSED AGAIN!"

Her plane turned out to have a problem with its landing gear.  She had to wait an additional 12 hours for a new plane to take them home. After getting Rossed plenty over her 2 years, she got home safely.

Now back to me. My plane luckily had no troubles taking off, no landing gear issues and plenty of fuel. But of all things to go wrong, my plane was late and it had nothing to do with Ross, the island, or anything that mattered. It was just plain late. (Couldn't help but make the pun there.)

Once I got home I did what every sane being does after being away from family and friends for so long: I visited every last person that I could every day for a week.  After that week I made my trip to Saginaw. Wait, hold the phone. Didn't I say that I wasnt going to Saginaw in the last post from a year ago? I did. But I made myself a liar. I got some advice from a former student who was teaching on the island in the time he had off before he started his residency. This was the last and final chance for anybody to go to Saginaw for the 5th semester. It was close to home, and I still had enough time  to devote to studying for STEP 1 after that semester, so I took his advice.
 5th semester was very different than what I had expected. It was mostly lectures with a little bit of hands on experience mixed in. During this I got to see some awesome wounds, perform the "female" exam and stare at a retina (deepest part of your eye) for a short time and several others.  I learned some basic skills such as stitching and tying surgical knots, and placing a catheter and an IV line.  I passed this semester without a hitch and came home to hunker down for the longest study session I've known to date: 2 months.

Studying for STEP 1 took as much discipline as I could muster. Every day studying, reading, memorizing and answering questions on every topic. I woke up tired and went to bed praying that the lectures would sink into whatever crevice my brain had left. I kept myself sane by taking the periodic run to clear my mind. I was in mental pain. Studying medicine and necessary bodily functions were the only things that mattered.
When test day came around, I was as prepared as I was ever going to be. I took the 8 hour test. Being mentally challenged for 8 hours was an unreal experience. Staying composed was crucial. Searching my brain for any connection I could make to answer the questions correctly. I was caffeinated and anxious but I walked out of the test alive, but numb.  I didn't feel anything. I called my fiancee and my mother and heard their excited voices asking me, " how'd it go?! Do you feel good now that you are done?" and I couldn't respond with any feeling at all. The only thought was the dread of waiting the weeks until my score was posted. And I waited. I checked my email 20 times a day, every day for a few weeks, waiting for a score report.  Then it happened. The email came.  I talked with Sarah and we both decided that if it came, wait for her to get home so not matter what, she'd be there to hug me, for better or for worse.  All I have to say is, that went straight out the window when I got that email. I opened it, clicked the link, and took a deep calming breath. My heart was thumping from deep within my chest  as if I was opening Pandora's box to reveal the secrets that lie within.  The link loaded and the first line of text in big bold letters said "CONGRATULATIONS!" and I knew that I had done it. I had passed my first Board exam!  I passed with a score that I was very happy with. The studying had paid off. The hard work had paid off. I DID IT! 

After that day I did a lot of waiting. Waiting for Ross to get back to me regarding administrative crap. After getting multiple sets of labs drawn for the same thing (because they weren't correct and blah blah blah) I was finally able to apply for my clinical rotation site. I applied and received my first choice: Chicago. I chose Chicago for several reasons, but my main one was so that my fiancee could easily make the move from working in advertising in Detroit, to the vast world of advertising in Chicago. This choice however forced us to wait until late February to begin. We waited a total of 4 or so months to begin here.

We made the move to Chicago last week and are finally getting settled into our new apartment. Sarah is working from home and I'm also at home studying and preparing for my first rotation in Psychiatry.  I am very excited for this rotation for many reasons, but most of all because its my first real one. 

I plan to continue my blog during my clinical years just as I had done on the island.  Thanks to all my readers for checking in after my year-long hiatus.



Clinical rotations: To be continued