Great to be back

I hope I never see the inside of a library again. . . Well, that's a lie, but I do hope I never again have to go through the grueling process of studying for the Medical Licensing Exam. Unfortunately, it is a 3 part exam and I have only completed Step 1. So, unless the National Board of Medical Examiners decides to start licensing physicians without screening them for medical knowledge and clinical skills, I will indeed do it all again for Step 2, but not for another 2 years. So, for now, DONE!

My study schedule consisted of 45 days of non-stop studying. I was at the library for at least 10hrs every day (including weekends) in a small study room, reading through book after book, taking over 2000 practice questions, and generally wondering if it would ever end. There were times that I doubted my ability to actually commit to this much studying. I learned a crap-load of material that will be pertinent for my next 2 years of rotations, but more importantly, I learned that I can exhibit sickening amounts of self-control when it is entirely necessary. Shamefully the restraint doesn't cross over into a diet and exercise program, but I did say "entirely necessary".

The test itself was excruciatingly difficult. After 8 hours of testing, I did not walk out of it feeling like I passed, but then again, neither did any of my classmates. Statistically speaking, I probably did pass. I will find out in 3-6wks. All of my practice tests indicated that I would indeed pass. About 90% of the class passes every year. So, really, no matter how clueless I felt, I probably did do fine. But it sure will be nice to get a score back and end the wondering.

It feels great to be finished. I spent the first weekend after the test at the lake with the boyfriend. It was so great to spend time together without constantly worrying about the test. I went home to New Orleans for a week and caught up with my family and friends. My mom and sister and I went to San Antonio for a few days, and now I'm finally back home and catching up on all of the things I've been putting off for 2 months. The house needs to be cleaned, I have errands to run, I need to go buy professional attire to wear on rotations, I have books I want to read, and laundry to be washed, but all in all, I feel FREE. Free from that damn test. Free to do whatever I want. At least for one more week until I start rotations and spend 60-80hrs per week in the hospital.

I'll be going back and reading through what's been going on in the blog since I've been gone. But allow me to say now, it's great to be back.