Interviews Are OVER

Colorado State Monument Park just out of Grand Junction

I'm sure you're sick of my lame teenage stories.

So here's an update on us now.

This last week we finished the last interview for residency.  Rhett is going into Family Medicine and interviewed at 11 programs.  I went to every interview. 

They were all n either Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, so only 2 were air travel, which is why I was able to attend every one.  Also thanks to our amazing moms who are super-grandmas and watched RJ for all of them.

So now they're finished, which I am glad.  It was quite fun to have so many weekends and dinners with my husband and no kids.  But the meeting tons of new people, hospital tours, arranging babysitting, and the rest kind of got exhausting toward the end.  I am grateful Rhett arranged so I could go, and I feel like this decision is definitely a team effort, so it's been nice.

But now we have to rank them all for the approaching match.

CAREER RECAP:

Undergrad

Medical School: 4 years (he'll graduate this April)

Residency: 3 years for Family Medicine

Fellowship: 1 year

(Rhett is seriously considering rural training fellowships which are a new, growing concept in family medicine)

So for residency, you put your program rank list in, and the programs rank the students, and the computer makes the assignments.  So it is a job, but it is assigned.  Rhett didn't apply to any osteopathic (D.O) residencies, and is only ranking in the allopathic (M.D.) match.

So we will find out where we are going March 18th. 

At least we know we'll be in the west!  We both learned we detest the midwest climate and are pleased we have so many options in the western half of the U.S!

So we are excited to start residency, and not be students anymore, and actually have a paycheck!  I'm sure a kill-joy will comment and tell me residency is worse and not something to be excited for, but they can only work 80 hours a week...so let's look on the bright side Debbie Downer!

Also, some fam/ friends may be interested in our settling down plans after all of this.

So around 2014 when we hope to settle down and get into his career, you will probably find us in a rural town.  Rural being population of 5000 or less.

That's right: SMALL TOWN. 

I never thought I'd live in a tiny rural town, but it's been an interesting path to where that is our plan, and to my utter surprise, I look forward to it.

Rhett wants to be in a small town that is relatively isolated from larger health care facilities.  Out on the range cowboying it up doing full scope medicine--being the pediatrician, ER, obstetrician, internal medicine, sports medicine, some general surgery, and everything else he could do before referring patients to a larger city.  A cowboy doctor.  The other day he was talking about his dream of having his clinic attached to the hospital, and our house next door.  So he'd never have to drive anywhere.  I thought, yes, then I can just send our kids next door to the hospital when they drive me crazy and you can handle them.  Small towns don't take HIPPA seriously do they????

Today they finished their surgeries earlier, and he had time to come home for lunch before heading back to clinic (he's on an ortho rotation).  We were eating lunch and he said that he's glad he'll be practicing in a small town so he'll be at home for lunch every day. 

So it will be interesting where life takes us, these next few months, and in the years to come.

I should start beginning to pack things like Christmas decorations, winter clothes we won't wear before we move, etc. 

But I probably won't until we are closer to moving.

Me and my dad are already pouting about the thought of us moving out...which is another thing I thought I'd never be doing either.  I'll be sad to move out of my parent's house, it's actually been such a great two years for all of us. (I'm speaking for Rhett)

after the Grand Junction interview, we stopped so Rhett could change out of his suit for the 4 hour drive home.  I changed into my pajamas.  He told me my outfit wouldn't look very good for our national park pictures we were going to take on the way home.  I laughed.  He asked how long I'd had these pajama pants.  Over 10 years.  Almost vintage.  So here it is.

Not too bad.  I think this will be on our 2010 Christmas card.

I UPDATED THE POST EDITING TO THE NEWER VERSION, AND WHERE THE CRAP IS SPELL CHECK NOW BLOGGER? So sorry if I have spelling errors.