48 Weeks

48 Weeks

It is with much pleasure that I say to all of you, “Welcome to Year 4!”

Now, I know I was supposed to get back to everyone a few weeks back and let them know how I did on my exams. I guess I was just so overwhelmed that I passed that it escaped me to write a note.

That, and the tequila shots.

But thanks to God and the Exam Board (The latter of which I am fairly sure torture small animals and eat their young. But I digress.), I have started my fourth and final year of med school. Which means in roughly 48 weeks, I will be a doctor.

Trust me: it scares the heck out of me, too.

However, here is the good news: I come back to the US – for good – in 6 months. (God and the Exam Board willing – I wonder if a virgin sacrifice might appease that latter group…). I guess I should explain this year – it’s different from the past three. It’s broken up into 6-week blocks; there’s eight of them. You get some say into what you do, but you still have to fulfill certain requirements. So here is my schedule:

Now until mid-Feb: Psychiatry
Mid-Feb-March 28: Anesthesia
March 28 – May 8: Renal Medicine
May 8 – June 18: Ophthalmology

The first three are in Adelaide; the last one in Alice Springs – that’s the jumping-off point for Ayer’s Rock/Uluru. After my time in a Town Named Alice, I head home to do about 6 months worth of rotations in the US; I’m still setting them up. Right now, the leading contenders are in NYC, DC, Philly, Richmond, Raleigh, Cleveland, Columbus, and San Francisco. But I am open to suggestions, and I’m sure the bidding for me to come to your city will be fierce!

And like Olympics, I am open to bribes.

And with that, it’s the weekend. Next week, I’ll fill you in more on my duties on the psychiatric ward – aside from making sure they let me out every day. As for the weekend, I’ll read a little about psychosis and catch up with classmates returning from holidays. Not to mention cleaning up all these tequila bottles…

As always, Love to All and keep working on your 101 List!
Bryan