Farewell Not Goodbye

Our lives are made up of different chapters. And in each chapter We meet a group of people who have made an impact in our lives. My life has been decorated by beautiful relationships I have made with the
characters in each chapter of my life. And now another chapter just ended.

Today was my last day at work. It seemed like a very long day. One by one I hugged each and everybody at work. Sharing tears and words  of endearment. But I refuse to consider this as good-bye.  My relationships with my friends will live on.

Tiffany

The inevitable is here. Tomorrow will be my last day at work and I have been feeling the sadness in the air for the past week. My co-workers often give me the pouty look when we talk about my last day :( I guess this is one of the reasons why I haven't really felt the excitement of starting residency yet. My excitement was being overshadowed by my sadness of leaving my friends behind. See I don't only consider River North as a work place but also my second home. I have become good friends with everybody there and it really shows how they felt the same way about me too.

To my surprise my friends threw the "Farewell Party" today! And the culmination was a very touching gift from everybody....

One of my friends put the necklace on for me. I am not a fan of jewelry so I guess they all thought it's time for me to wear grown-up things ;) As I was saying some words of thanks and expressed how I was going to miss them terribly my voice just started to crack and before I knew it I was being hugged by everybody with tears and snot running down our faces. It was a very sentimental moment being surrounded by people who truly care about and appreciate you.

I love you all and I will always remember our time together....

My Step 3

The night of June 2 I was thinking of my Step 3 result. I wasn't really sure when my score would be available but when I looked at the calendar I realized that June 3 would be the 3rd Wednesday after my exams which means my score COULD be available. The score is usually ready at midnight but I decided to just wait til the morning to check my email.

At 5:30 I woke up and my heart started pounding. What if I failed this darn exam? I thought I did well during the exam. I was calm the entire time which actually worried me a bit coz in the past a little bit of anxiety boosted my performance. This time I was very nonchalant and impatient to get this exam over with. But I felt good about my answers so that's all that matters. I did all I could and now it's all in God's hands.

So I turned on my laptop and checked the Step 3 candidate website and there it was: Print Score Report. I clicked on it and it started to download. For some reason my laptop decided to act up on that day. It was downloading the file ever sooooo slowly! But finally I saw 3 sets of figures that made my jaw drop to the floor...

I was in utter disbelief. My preparation was not as good as my previous ones. Plus I only spent 2 hours a day studying due to so many distractions like my pregnancy, residency, etc. I was even only aiming for a 75. But hey! This was a huge blessing from God and I accept it with all my heart. Thank you Lord! And I think my baby gave me good luck ;)

So how did I prepare....

My materials:

* Kaplan qbank: Not so good so I didn't finish it. Only completed 60% with a cumulative score of 65%

*USMLEWorld qbank: Very good! First round I got 64% correct and 2nd round of incorrect and marked items my score went up to 73%.

*USMLEWorld CCS: Very good! I did the interactive cases 2x and read the PDF files 2x as well.

*Master The Boards: Average. Good for quick review but felt there were incorrect concepts.

*Kaplan CK lecture notes: Only did a fast reading of IM and OB.

*Practice test on the USMLE website: 84%

The key to my preparation is my good CK knowledge and attitude. I thoroughly enjoyed studying for the exam coz I know learning all the principles will make me a better doctor. I didn't look at step 3 as just another exam, a hurdle in my path, but a way of improving myself. I learned a lot while studying and now I feel like I am ready to tackle any case in front of me ;)

Good bye USMLEs! Thank you for the challenge :)

My last hurrah!

My husband and I spent the Memorial Day weekend in Florida. I considered it my last vacation before the hectic schedule begins.

It was a fun-filled trip. We stayed at my friend's house in Orlando and she was the best host ever! She pampered us everyday. Thanks Mic! :) Of course when in Orlando you can never by-pass Disney World. We didn't go to all 4 parks though as our stay was short so we decided on 2 parks instead- Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios. It was great to feel like a kid again. Next time we visit there will be a 3rd person with us and so it would be time to see Mickey ;)

It was sad to be leaving Orlando and Mic behind. Now back to reality....

4 weeks and counting

My orientation is 4 weeks away. I haven't done a single thing to prepare myself for internship. I guess I'm still giving myself a break after Step 3.

First thing I gotta do is buy those books which I will do as soon as I publish this post. Then I NEED to learn Spanish! I have been meaning to do that since last year but things have always come up. Now there won't be anymore excuses. I just bought the Rosetta Stone CD and will upload it this weekend by hook or by crook :) My co-interns and I are planning a get together before the start of our training. I'm so glad we have been communicating via Facebook ( Yup. We created a private group ;) How cool is that?!).  It's soooo nice to start getting to know each other early on. I mean we'll be working closely for the next 3 years. We need to bond as early as possible :) I must say though that I really like my class :) Everybody was so supportive when I announced my pregnancy. I'm really blessed...

I have to do some modification on my wardrobe since I won't be able to squeeze a giant watermelon in my size 2 pants. I refuse to buy maternity clothes though. I will be buying those Bella Bands so I can just leave the pants unzipped without worrying about it falling to the ground.  Plus it's going to be VERY cost-effective :) We are on a tight budget people! My salary will be practically nonexistent once the baby comes. Let's just hope my butt won't grow as big as my belly. Now that will be a catastrophe coz then I won't have a choice but to buy maternity clothes.


Update on the pregnancy:

Today I am exactly 9 weeks. Hubby and I went for our first OB appointment. I wasn't expecting to hear the heartbeat thru the Doppler as I am still too early but we did! I was pleasantly surprised ;) Hubby said that it sounded like the baby was running on the threadmill ;) I chose an OB from the hospital I will be training at. That will be very convenient for my prenatal visits. And when I'm on call and the water breaks all I have to do is go to my suite up on the 3rd floor ;) Yes. I have it all figured out...

Step 3 down...What's next???

I just got done with the dreadful 2-day Step 3 exam. It actually wasn't too bad. I was prepared for the worst and I'm glad I conditioned myself this way. I think my secret weapon was to give myself ample breaks in between the blocks so as not to exhaust myself coz it was very exhausting.

Now comes the agony of waiting for the result...3 weeks. But I have so many things lined up to  keep myself busy for the next 4 weeks.

First I have to clean the house! It's sooo dusty that I've been sneezing a lot lately :(

Next is to focus on my pregnancy 100%. I think the first few weeks I was still too scared to allow myself to get too excited coz unexpected things can happen during early pregnancy. But now I can no longer deny it. I really am pregnant and a few months from now (well 32 weeks to be exact) I will be a mommy! Oh my! I'll be a mommy!!!

My first official OB appointment will be on the 20th. And I'm so excited coz my hubby will be coming with me this time :)

Next is to get ready for my training which is really just around the corner! June 21 is the start of our orientation. I plan on buying books for references which the program will reimburse me later. That's great of them to do that. But then again they should do that ;) I'm still in the process of searching for the best book/s for internship....Any suggestions? I hear The Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics is a good reference and The Washington Manual Internship Survival Guide is great as a guide for interns. So I think I'll start with these...

Then on Memorial Day weekend my husband and I are going to visit some friends in Florida. I guess this will be my last vacation before the hectic schedule starts...But it's a great chapter in my life that I can't wait to start....

So bring it on!

It's May already?!

Wow...days come and go so fast! With everything going on in my life (getting matched, getting pregnant, taking Step 3 next week) I hardly noticed the clock ticking. I did notice tho the change in the weather! No more winter clothes for a while! :)

Step 3 review is coming along. I haven't been studying intensively as my previous preparations. I guess it's because I don't feel pressured to get a super high score anymore. I just need to pass this exam then I'll be free of the USMLEs! May 12-13 here I come! Yup, it's a 2-day exam...

As for my pregnancy...so far not a whole lot of nausea. Just  small waves of queesiness here and there BUT I'm hungry ALL THE TIME! As in every 2-3 hours I have got to eat. My stomach starts churning as if I have not eaten in days! I learned how to portion my meals. I eat small snacks all throughout the day and I realized then that this is the best way to combat nausea.

Anyway, I went for a 2nd ultrasound this morning. The little bean has gotten so big in just a week! Heart reat: 147 :)