After much deliberation and some persuation, I have decided to keep doing the blog. So far Miami has been like a roller coaster ride that started in an underground cave. Lots of ups and downs, but its getting better, and hopefully the ride ends above ground. I guess first you will need the basics- we don’t have a land line here so if you need/want to reach me call the cell phone. My address here is 6870 SW 44th St. Apt 207, Miami FL 33155, if you need/want to send me anything.
So now- I will attempt to start my Miami journey from the beginning. Got here on May 8th so that I could get situated and keep studying before our big test which was on the 20th. But class started on the 17th and they were basically 9-4 (or 5) days at a building that takes us 45 minutes to get too, and by the time class was over we were so tired that studying was a definite chore. I did get the program done that I wanted to complete, but in the end I was still just shy of passing this test. I will get another chance in September, and will have more than 2 weeks to study 2 years of medical school that time. The pass rate for this test was pretty much 50% so it wasn’t exactly easy. 4 hours of any test just sucks- next time I will do more practice tests as a means of endurance training.
Meanwhile- in the first week here, my friends were busy turning their lives upsidedown and changing my happy little normal existence. Jon (who had been looking at engagement rings for his girlfriend of 4 years not but 3 weeks earlier) and Bela (who is married) decided that they were both simultaneously unhappy in their relationships and that the other was a far superior option- and POOF they are now dating. Hopefully it all turns out fine, because if not it will sure make things awkward around the apartment complex, and in carpool rides to class. I was not exactly pleasant during the big reveal and change either, but I’m over it. I am adopting a Sheryl Crow mantra for the situation, and If it Makes Them Happy, then what the hell.
That first week, we went out too- an Italian place called Scarpetta’s where dinner cost me 100 bucks. I mean the food was fantastic, but I am just as content eating chicken fritters for 9 dollars thanks. And there is a pretty cool mall fairly close to our house. It’s a big 2 story outdoor type mall that also has a theatre and IMAX and a bowling alley/bar too. Its very cool.
Then school started. The first two weeks we (Bela and I- we are clinical partners, so we go everywhere together. They do it to make carpooling easier) were scheduled for Family Medicine. We went to a doctors office in North Miami (which takes an hour to get too) twice a week to shadow the doctor (who turns out isn’t even an MD- he’s a PA, so we felt jipped). And let me tell you- this office is shady as hell. If the HIPPA lady went there, it would get fined out the behind. Absolutely. The thing is that he has a niche because he speaks the Haitian dialect of creole and his office is located in a part of town very close to a Haitian neighborhood. AND his doctor patient relationships are probably what keep patients coming back. But still- shady as hell.
Our schedule here is basically a big giant mystery except for I know what I do on Wednesdays- Class at the Hyatt, in downtown Miami. Otherwise- they let us know what we’re doing about 4 days in advance- which super sucks for planning a vacation etc.
Otherwise life is very busy and in my free time I try to study so I can rock this test the next time. But last night was pretty fun. Bela and I went to a drug company sponsored dinner, so of course I ordered the most expensive thing on the menu- a beef tenderloin dinner, and let me tell you- it was the best piece of beef I have had ever. AMAZING. If only I could go to nice restaurants on someone elses dollar more often. *sigh* But it was funny, the head honcho dude that was there was from North Chicago, and he had a 17 year son that was looking into Augustana- small world right. Ha.
That’s pretty much all I’ve got right now. We just our schedule for next week today, and we don’t have clinical- but some other thing that was like learning how to do a proper neuro exam or something. Its all a giant mess really. I really wish that it were more organized.
~Kristen
