The Dating Game

I have decided that job hunting is all too similar to dating. You have to get all dressed up and try to be impressive without seeming overly desperate. When you first meet, you are so nervous, you are stumbling over your words and trying to conceal all of the pooling sweat. It's no wonder my sister always tells me she hates going on first dates in the summer, it's just too damn hot! Then you go home and wait by the phone, wondering if they liked you, debating what you liked and dislike about them. They always take way too long to call you back, if they even bother calling you back. Granted, my last real first date was almost 8 years ago and completely wonderful. I have forgotten how awful dating can be. I am so grateful that I have finally accepted a job and am done interviewing. I am officially off the market! I took a psychiatry position at a counseling center in Arlington. I was somewhat surprised by my decision, psych wasn't initially what I had envisioned for myself. But after going to several interviews, it was the first time I could see myself looking forward to going to work every day. I sought advice from my sister when I was trying to decide between job offers and she sent me this poem called The Voice by Shel Silverstein:

There is a voice inside of you
That whispers all day long,
"I feel this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong."
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
Or wise man can decide
What's right for you -- just listen to
The voice that speaks inside."

I am so excited for my new job and tomorrow we are headed to Thailand, for a nice long vacation before I join the work force. Au revoir!

I was only this excited for the first couple of interviews.

Whirlwind

I feel as though May was the longest month of my life. I am both sad and grateful that it is over. All the fun stuff happened in the first half of the month and the second half of the month I spent studying for and taking my board exam. There were so many events, I am going to try and sum it up for you.

First there was my graduation banquet, which as the class activity chair, I had spent months organizing and working hard for.

Class pic

I also gave a speech... in front of all these people! I've copied the speech down below if you care to read it. My talented sister helped with it and it has some interesting stats about our class.

Next came my birthday. My sweet husband had all the food catered by my favorite food trucks.

He even had a tub of my favorite ice cream off the "what's da scoop" truck.

Finally the big day of graduation was here. The moment I had been waiting for, for three years. I think PA school is the hardest thing I have ever done.

The school's photographer caught us taking the selfie above.

The hooding ceremony.

I did it!

 

 

After graduation, my mom and sister threw me a beautiful party. I'm am so thankful to all my friends who came.

Here are all the pictures my mom used to decorate the table. The top middle is my eighth grade graduation.

I also got to celebrate my birthday again with my sister and our dear friends. This is my face when I opened one of my gifts. It was a book by one of my favorite authors, Ann Patchet, and she had written a personal note wishing me a happy birthday!

I need to say thank you to all my friend and family who have helped and supported me over these last three years. I have especially felt so much love from everyone this past month. Thank you!

My Graduation Speech

The UNTHSC PA class of 2014 began three years ago with 75 students.

In three years, we made it through 32 classes.

We have spent 2,984 hours in lecture, well not necessarily all of us.

We have passed 125 tests.

More notably, we survived 504 group projects.

We’ve completed 858 rotations- 175 of them out of town.

Three students traveled 6229 miles to a rotation in Africa.  (I drove approximately 6000 miles to and from Crane, Texas for one of my rotations.)

We sent out no fewer than 7,000 panicked e-mails in the middle of the night, trying to find out when our next group projects was due or when our exam scores would be released.

We consumed at least one hundred and sixty four thousand 250 cups of coffee.

We borrowed over $4 million dollars in student loans.

We delivered no fewer than 104 babies.

With the help of our faculty and staff we have been able to accomplish the seemingly insurmountable feat of completing PA school.

And today, thanks to all of your help, we are 66 graduates who, together, have already served over one hundred forty thousand 413 patients.