Made it to 3rd Year!

Wow!  I really thought this day would never come, but now that I'm here, It feels like only yesterday I was starting this journey.  Well, I know you are all wondering.... STEP is over and we both passed!!! We really want to thank you all for your prayers through that very difficult time in our lives.  It really was the hardest thing I think I've ever done.  This summer we studied 12 hrs a day (sometimes more) 6 days a week for 5 weeks.  I lost 10 lbs due to my chronic diarrhea and stress ulcer that prevented me from eating.  I cried almost every day!  I thank God everyday for blessing me with such a patient and loving Husband.  Seriously, a lesser man would have left me!!!  But he held my hand and got me through it!  And now we are officially in 3rd year and spending all day in the hospital on rotations.  I wish I could share some stories of things that have happened to me at work, but due to Patient Confidentiality Laws (aka. HIPPA) I cannot.  But here are some things I can share:

First Day of School Picture... Dont we look so cute!! 

1st Rotation: Psychiatry at NLR VA.  I'll be honest.  I was really nervous about starting Psych.  I didnt know what to expect.  Would people be talking to figments of their imagination?? Would they be violent??  Would there be padded walls and straight jackets??? 

This is the picture of the student office where we saw patients.  Looks legit, right?! 

But.. See the red button?  That's the panic button!  So when I asked, "Will I need to use the panic button?" The physician responds, "oh no, that's just incase.  We've never had a med student get hurt here, but I've only been here for 2 years!" Ok, Now I'm panicking! 

I was very nervous.  But, it really wasnt that bad.  I did see schizophrenia and psychosis and  bipolar and all sorts of things.  But I learned that sometimes the one's with serious mental illness are more afraid of you then you are of them.  I mean if you heard a voice telling you that you were going to die or go to hell everyday, wouldn't you be scared?? So I think my eyes were really opened and I realized that Mental Illness isnt scary. and these patients suffer from other medical problems that often get overlooked due to their mental illness, such as pain or insomnia, or infections.  I learned that psychiatrists really are special people and have a heart to speak for those who often cant speak for themselves. 

I also really enjoyed Psych because it was a nice intro into 3rd year.  The days were really light.  I usually got done around 2 or 3pm.  I was able to get all of my reading done!  It was nice.  Now onto OB/GYN.  Long days!  But, you know I love it!  More updates to come!