Happy, Happy, Happy!

Today is a happy day, for no particular reason. I'm just in an exceptionally good mood. I've been relying on God a lot lately, and I can tell that I'm much more at peace than I used to be. I'm beginning to understand just how important it is that Adam and I live in the "here and now" rather than wishing our lives away, and I really think we've done a great job of that lately. We really don't have much longer here in Birmingham, so we may as well enjoy it! He and I are both very content right now and I'm really glad about that.

I've done a pretty good job lately keeping up with my blog, but as I started thinking about it, there have been quite a few things that I haven't remembered to blog about. So let me do a quick little catch-up.

A few weeks ago, after we completed our first rotation, Katie Stone, Casey, Mallory, Lindsay and I all met for dinner and drinks to celebrate marking one off our list! We had SO much fun kickin' back a few, sharing stories of our past, and laughing WAY too loudly. I LOVED it. When PA school is all said and done and I'm reminiscing, the first few thoughts I'll have will certainly be those girls. We've all gotten each other through this hell and I love them all the more for it. They're the best.

As most of you know, another big snow storm hit us not too long after the first one. Lindsay and Sadie came over because we were all so excited about the snow! Thankfully we were safe and at home, so we were able to enjoy it without concern for being stuck. The power went out in our apartment but not in Lindsay's, which is strange. But anyway, we made the best of it. Here are a few pics of our adventures for that night. You've probably already seen them on facebook...

He's a very happy snowman.

Also the week before Valentine's Day, Rob and Jenny flew into town to spend some time with their family and friends, and Adam and I were lucky enough to have an entire evening with them! We met them at a BBQ restaurant not far from our place and then we came back to our apartment and played the crazy but hilarious game of Cards Against Humanity. It's always a guaranteed wonderful time with those two. Love that we got to see them! But we miss them already. :(

For Valentine's Day, Adam got me tulips for our patio planters so we planted those this past Sunday. He and I are both blown away with how quickly they've grown and multiplied! Can't wait for them to bloom! I can tell they're close.

That day we also went on a picnic with Lindsay, Casey, Cory and the dogs and we had such a fun time! It's been a while since we've hung out with Casey and Cory so it was so fun to see them! We can't wait to do it again very soon!

Today I'm meeting up with Katie Stone to go out for a walk with our dogs. The weather was reported to be much prettier, but at least it's not raining. It'll be wonderful just to be in Katie's company with their pup, Harper. :)

- - - - -

I haven't posted much about my clinical rotations lately, and that's something I really want to do, just to have something to look back on later. So my first rotation was in inpatient medicine, which means taking care of people who have been admitted to the hospital for conditions that need more thorough medical attention. I was constantly challenged in this rotation and I learned soooo much. I had phenomenal preceptors that kept me on my toes, constantly encouraging me to think "what else" or "what if." I can recognize that I grew a ton during those quick five weeks and I'm very thankful to have spent that much time with the two MDs that I was with.

Now, in my second rotation, I'm in OBGYN and I LOVE it. So, a couple of thoughts before I share my experiences... I've always had a very strong interest in maternal and child health, pregnancy, and breastfeeding so naturally it only makes sense that I would love this specialty. On the flip-side, I've known that PAs don't fit very well into the field, so I've prepared myself with the understanding that what I experience as a student during this rotation would be very different that what I would actually experience as a practicing PA. In most hospitals PAs can't deliver babies, which restricts the amount of help that a PA can provide for their supervising physician. We can't take their late night calls. We can't run to the hospital in their place to deliver a baby in the middle of a very busy business day. So since we can't make the hardest part of their job a lot easier, we're not really used and that's a shame because I really do love it.
I have absolutely loved prenatal visits during this rotation. I usually go in before my preceptor and measure the fundal height and find the baby's heart beat. It's so fun! Of course I've also loved helping mamas deliver babies and selfishly, I've loved first assisting in c-sections. No one loves to be cut open but it's so incredible bringing a baby into the world, regardless of how it's done. Thankfully I have two more weeks in this rotation and I'm excited about what else I'll get to do/see.
A friend, knowing that I love this stuff, asked me why I chose PA school instead of another similar course that would align better with my interests. I hadn't really thought much about that before her question, but my immediate response was that as much as I love mamas and babies, I love the idea of being a PA so much more. I have other interests in emergency medicine and dermatology and I tend to fall in love with whatever I do. I'm not even a little bit worried about being happy in my career choice, and I certainly don't regret my decision to come to PA school. Plus, (some would definitely argue against this) times are changing and we never know what the future holds ... PAs may deliver babies more globally one day -- it's certainly not unheard of everywhere. Who knows. I have seven more clinical sites, all different specialties, to rotate through and I plan to let my experiences guide me. So I'm very excited about this year and all that it has to offer!

Ok, I think I'm finished writing my book now. Later friends!

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