Medical School Graduation

On April 11th Lee officially graduated from St. George's University with his MD!
His school held an official graduation ceremony in NYC in June, but we were unable to attend due to our recent move to Florida and lack of funds.
NOTE- becoming a doctor doesn't mean you automatically have money! haha! Actually this is the poorest we've ever been in our entire lives... I haven't had a job since February and Lee won't get his first paycheck until this week............ and we don't need to talk about the student loan debt again.
but back to less depressing things.

Lee graduated Magna Cum Laude which means his GPA was over 3.8 (I don't know exactly what it was and if I asked he'd tell me not to blog about it, lol)
I am so proud of him!  I know everyone says this, but he really did work extremely hard to do so well to ensure that he'd match into a great residency and be able to provide for our family.  Leo and I are so blessed.

A friend sent me this picture on graduation day of his name in the program for the Iota Epsilon Alpha Honor Society Members.   And she mailed me a copy of program!  So sweet! 

It feels so strange that medical school is now behind us and Lee is officially Dr. Coghill.
I'm apart of a Facebook group of doctor's wives and instead of referring to my DrH as MS4 (4th year medical student) I can now say PGY1 (Post Grad Year 1). 

We received our first piece of mail a couple weeks ago addressed - Dr. and Mrs. Coghill and Leo
:) :) :)

Up next, residency graduation in 3 short years! 

Residency confusion.

Today Lee is off on an interview at the University of Indiana in Indianapolis. Thankfully this was another interview he could drive to, it's about 4 1/2 hours away.
I can't wait to hear all about it tonight when he gets home!  This is his 3rd actual interview, and at this point he's been offered 20... we're going through deciding where is the best use of our money to fly to interview and what not.  Sunday he flies down to Florida to do a couple..... leaving me alone in cold Michigan. :/

People continue to be totally clueless and ask a million questions about the residency process.  I don't blame them, it's pretty difficult to understand if you're not living it every day.  But people assume that since Lee's going on interviews that these individual hospitals are going to offer him jobs.... complete with "offers"
Not so much.  I try my hardest to explain that we won't know anything until March.  We rank the places he interviews at in order of where we'd like to go most, they rank the students in order of who they want the most, and a computer literally "matches" us to a program.  We don't have final say.

Here is a pretty good explanation of the process if you're really interested http://b83c73bcf0e7ca356c80-e8560f466940e4ec38ed51af32994bc6.r6.cf1.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/NRMP-Match-Process-Run-a-Match-Match-Logo.pdf

And I should note that not all hospitals have residency programs!  People ask why we aren't moving home.... well that particular hospital doesn't have residents!  That's reason #1.

Also, not all residency programs are created equal.  Some are university based (ie OSU Medical Center in Columbus), some are at really well known hospitals (ie The Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic), some are university affiliated (ie St. John's Hospital here is affiliated with Wayne St. U. but doesn't have a whole lot to do with the actual school or medical school), some are brand new this year, some have great  reputations, some have poor reputations, some take international medical graduates (IMGs) and some only take American students.... there are LOTS of factors.
This was not an easy decision.
So when you ask why didn't apply more places close to family, the reason is we wanted Lee to have the best opportunities for the best training and education.  And it doesn't hurt to go to an awesome program and have it look good for your career. Get me?

This year we find out on March 17th IF Lee matches to a residency.  March 21st we find out WHAT program he matches to.  If we find out on Monday that he didn't match then we have that week to scramble around and try to find a hospital, any hospital, with an open spot and beg them to take us.

Ah, I agree it is confusing.  If we weren't in this situation I would know nothing about it either.  They don't teach you all this stuff on Grey's Anatomy.

In other news,
Things with me are the same, I spent a lot of time over the weekend working on some nursery projects and I've decided to revive my old decorating blog for the occasion :)
http://kelseyinspired.blogspot.com/

Here's one of my projects I finished! 

Application Submission Day!!

Well Ladies and Gentlemen as of 9:05 AM this morning my husband has officially applied for residency!!
Now begins the waiting game...

We ended up applying to 57 places.

Why so many?
Well, as you know Lee went to medical school in Grenada, so he is technically an international medical graduate.  Some programs do not even consider IMGs... so we (he) went through the long process of figuring out which programs accept IMGs, which have accepted an SGU student in the past, which are good well known university programs, and which are located in areas that I do not absolutely refuse to live in.
And we came up with 57.

Soon (hopefully) the interview offers will come rolling in and my Lee will begin traveling to different programs... and I will sit and wait.

Step 2 - DONE

So basically....

Step 2 CS - Lee kicked butt
and Step 2 CK - he took names.

He got his score back this week and I received the following message:

Got my ck score back. I got a XXX!!!!
Please don't tell a soul.

Haha oh that Lee. he thinks that I'm going to like blog to the world our personal business or something.
pppsshhh

His main concern with this exam was showing improvement since Step 1, which was going to be difficult because he did really well on Step 1, but they want to see that you've learned more since then and that it wasn't a fluke or something.  And for some reason, I was actually slightly concerned.  Oh ye of little faith.
Lee worked his butt off for this test and I am so, so proud of him! 

So this is all very good news and a weight the size of Florida has been lifted off my shoulders because this should now mean that he should be able to get a residency where he wants, and I really want Florida... therefore Lee wants Florida.

Warm weather, blue skies, fruit trees, palm trees, beach, ocean, sun.
yes. that is the life for me.

7 months until we find out our residency location!  All I want is south of the Ohio River. for reals.
I can't hang with another (after this one) Michigan winter. 
and get me out of Detroit ASAP.

In other news, everything else is still the same. 
I'm about to finish my 8th class for grad school.  How is that even possible?! 
It sucks majorly and I've been doing a ton of work for it.  It will be worth it in the end, right?
That's what they've said about medical school..... I almost sort of kinda believe them.
Now that there is an end in sight.
6 months and my Lee is a doctor.

he's been doing tons of awesome stuff at the hospital and if I was allowed to tell you all about it I would. and if it wasn't midnight and I wasn't avoiding homework and I hadn't been up since 5:30am I'd tell you more too. 

I need to do some more posts about the other things going on in life soon too, but for now school consumes us as usual.
the end.

June.

I haven't updated since April.
what's new. I'm the worst blogger.

Well there are actually some new things in our lives.

Lee got his green card.  We went to Canada for the weekend a while back and crossing the board was the easiest we've ever experienced. so that's awesome.

Lee passed Step 2 CS!  We went to Chicago for the weekend so he could take it.  It was an 8 hour exam of him doing physical exams on people acting as patients.
Meanwhile, I went to the 3rd largest mall in America.  It was.... overwhelming.  I just don't like malls much these days.  It's full swing yard sale season here in Michigan and I'm addicted.

Lee finished his 3rd year of medical school with straight As and a few A+s... did you know they gave those in medical school?? that Lee...

Lee started his 4th and final year of school! and it's not even a full year!! He'll finish next March... so we're down to like 9 months of school!!!! with the month of July off to study for Step 2 CK and the month of November off for residency interviews!

Lee and I started juicing!  We're so healthy. lol.
and Lee has me on a training regime to do a boy style pushups! and I did one within a week!  I seriously never thought that was possible! haha
We  try to juice for dinner a few nights a week.  We typically do cucumber, spinach, cabbage, carrot, and apple.  I suggest making it really cold and drinking through a straw ;)

For me....
I finished my first year of grad school with a 4.0! yea
I'm pretty proud of that.  It's hard man.  I have never, ever thought school was hard until this, so I guess that means it's fitting I guess.  Just a ton of writing papers. bleh.
I start my next class in one week! gross!

I celebrated my one year work-aversary at Clairpointe Family Chiropractic! 
Have I mentioned how thankful I am for this job? (I'm at work now.lol)
In the city of Detroit and the metro area there are like.... 0 jobs. So finding this one was a huge huge huge blessing.  And the people I work with are nice and have become my actual friends and I don't dread getting up and coming here every morning. BONUS!

I've been doing a lot of art in my break from school. I've finished several little paintings and have developed an interested in sculpture.  I have 0 experience with it, but after researching some stuff about art therapy I read that for one's portfolio they must have sculpture and so I want to make one just in case you know?  I think it'd be awesome to work with kids and incorporate art in therapy...

and............ that's about it for now.

The Answers to ALL Your Questions!

People ask me the following questions ALL the time
(even if it's only been a week or two since they've seen me!)

so... is Lee finished now?
is Lee an American citizen?
what rotation is he in?
how is he doing?
how much does he get paid?
you're in HOW much debt?
what kind of doctor does he want to be?
long will residency be?
do you get paid for residency?
what is the residency process?
how much longer in Michigan?
where do you want to live?
when are you having kids?
how do you deal?!

and occasionally someone says - so what do you do? :)


I've decided to answer every single question as plainly as possible!  If you have anymore feel free to ask, I really don't mind answering, promise. As you may have noticed I have no qualms with personal questions about money or our lives.


so... is Lee finished now?
nope!  Medical School is still a 4 year degree process!  We began in January of 2010 and will finish January of 2014!!!  Lee is a 3rd year medical student (MS3).


is Lee an American citizen?
no my sweet boy is still a true Canuck.  He may never become a US citizen, we don't know.  We have applied for his Green Card so he can be a permanent resident of the US and not need a student or work visa.  This will greatly increase his options for medical residency positions because the hospital he applies to will not be responsible for sponsoring his visa.  Is it easier because I am American? Yes and no.  It's not easy, but me being American helps.  I am technically his sponsor, but to be a true sponsor one must make a certain amount of money for 3 year and have assets.  I have none of these (remember those 2 years on a tropical island with no job?) So we applied with a joint sponsor (a family member, THANK YOU!).  Lee had to do a physical exam and xrays to prove he has no diseases.  We had to have the pastor who performed our wedding write a letter saying it wasn't a hoax.  We had a friend who knows us well write a letter stating our relationship is ongoing and sound.  My boss wrote a letter saying I have a job and will make x amount of dollars. and lots of other personal things...
Lee goes Monday for his biometric exam - where they will fingerprint him and ask him lots of questions.
If that gets approved, as well as my sponsorship abilities we should find out sometime in the next 3-12 months!
One little stipulation is that he cannot leave the US while this is processing.  We live 15 minutes from Canada but he cannot cross the border until it is either approved or denied.  Here's to hoping it gets approved fast!
oh and it costs about $1,800 to do this. gross.

what rotation is he in?
currently he is in his Internal Medicine rotation.  It is 12 weeks long and is his last rotation of 3rd year! whooooo!!!!!
Here was his schedule for 3rd year -  (I may be off on these week amounts, I get confused if it was 4, 6, or 8)
12 weeks Sugery
6 weeks OB/GYN
6 weeks Psych
6 weeks Family Medicine
6 weeks Pediatrics
12 weeks Internal Medicine

How is he doing?
well if you know Lee you know what a hard worker he is.  Every rotation they have tried to convince him to go into that specialty because he would be so good at it.  His patients love him because he's so patient, thorough, and empathetic. The residents like him because he makes their lives easier.  We ran into one of the residents in the grocery store and he basically high-fived me for marrying Lee because he's that awesome (as if I didn't already know)
And he absolutely would hate for me to tell you anything about his grades or scores but I'll just say I know that the grade of A+ exists on shelf exams for a reason......

how much does he get paid?
zip, zero, zilch.  In fact since he is still in school we pay tuition. and a lot of it.

you're in HOW much debt?
for Lee's schooling we're going to end up in the ballpark of $200,000 in debt (hopefully less!)  Which truthfully is a walk in the park compared to some medical school grads we know and have talked to.  Residents at Lee's hospital think nothing of being $350,000 in the hole. yikes.
Tuition is twenty-something thousand per semester and we're paying for 10 semesters (I think).

what kind of doctor does he want to be?
we're pretty set on Family medicine.  Mainly for the lifestyle.  We want a family!  and Lee wants to be actively involved in all our lives too, so surgery is out. lol.
Family is also interesting to Lee because you see a wide variety of patients, you can have your own practice, and still have options to specialize in OB/GYN, Sports Med, or ER.  And you can work in a hospital if you prefer that to a clinic setting and do more internal med type stuff.

how long will residency be?
Family Medicine residency is 3 years.
We will begin residency in July 2014.  All medical residents, every year, begin in July.  Never schedule a surgery for the first week of July at a teaching hospital. It's apparently chaotic.

Do you get paid in residency?
yes!!! not a doctor's salary, but enough! average is between like $45-60,000 per year.

what is the residency process? 
well.... I don't know 100% yet.  That will be our life this fall. Lee will start applying this fall and will apply to LOTS of programs at hospitals all across America.  The average student applies to 70ish programs.  Out of that 70 hopefully lots of them will offer Lee an interview.  That will be Nov13-Jan14.  He will spend a lot of time and money traveling around to these interviews, impressing lots of people!  After your interviews you rank the program and they also rank you.  They compare up these rankings and in March of 2014 we'll enter THE match and find out where we're going!! We're hoping to interview at 10+ hospitals to make sure we have the best chance of matching and in a place we want!
Sadly, not everyone matches..... and you pray you're not the one.

how much longer in Michigan?
not completely sure.  Lee will finish rotations (4th year) around Jan/Feb 2014.  He will "match" to a residency program in March 2014, and begin in July 2014.  If we match outside of Michigan (please God) we will move a some point between March and July!  Probably depending on where (how far) and what my job situation.

where do you want to live?
south!! south of the Ohio River preferably.  It seriously makes such a big difference in weather.  I'm begging for Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, or Texas.  And my BFFFFFF Amber and her husband put Arizona and Virginia on their list and they will match in just a couple weeks! so where they end up will be added to my list of desired places ;)

when are you having kids?
someday!  Lee and I want a big family.  4+ kids so the sooner we can get things going to better according to my biological clock, but we definitely will be waiting until after he starts residency.  Why? someone in this relationship needs an income and I currently don't have health insurance that covers maternity care.  Pretty good reasons if you ask me.  So we will re-asses after July 2014 and see where I am with my career and my longing for Grenada.........

how do you deal?!
you know what, medical school sucks. suck suck suck sucks and we're poor and in debt... but everyday we get up and life goes on and we're genuinely happy and are trudging along.  Lee is so over school and the process, but we're 3/4 the way done and $140,000 in debt, so no turning back!  Someday, sommmmmmmmmmmmmeday, we'll look back and be thankful for this experience and the hard work will pay off.  But if one of my children says "I want to be a Dr. like Dad" hahahaha we'll probably discourage it.
When you're in love and married to someone who makes life easy, you'd be surprised at how much you can handle.  And I stay busy to avoid getting lonely!

so what do you do?
Well, I am still at the job I got the week I moved to Michigan, I am a Chiropractic Assistant, Front Desk, Office Manager type person.  It isn't necessarily glamorous, but I love the people I work with and LOVE our patients.  They really feel like family and I'm happy to come to work every morning.  My boss is super supportive and accommodating. I work 4 (long) days a week and have a 3 day weekend every week... which leaves time for me to do school. I'm getting my masters in Counseling/Human Services through Liberty University  (I work full time, go to school full time, and Lee is still usually busier than me if that gives you an idea) This semester I'm doing 12 credit hours.  Last semester I did 9 and felt like I handled it really well, so I upped it....... might not have been my absolute best move, but I want to finish asap!  Unlike Lee I'll let everyone know my grades, I worked hard for them! so far I've got straight As!
The plan is do do another full 12 hours this summer, 6 credits the first sub-semester of Fall and the second sub-semester do my big Capstone project!  And finish December of this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What do Lee and I do together?
We are working with the youth group at our church.  There is a youth pastor, so we just assist and support him.  Lee is the Sunday School teacher and seriously is the best teacher I've ever had.  He's so good.  I look at him sometimes and am amazed that I get to share my life with him. He explains things to the teens and I'm like wow, wish someone had told me that when I was 15. We have fun doing other stuff with them like Wednesday night church and volleyball on Friday nights.
And we try to eat dinner together each night and go to bed at the same time.  So we  get about 2 hours together a day, which is better than nothing!

So, that was... long.
Anything I didn't cover?

remember Lee?

enough about me and definitely enough about food.

remember medical school?
remember Lee?
the good looking, hardworking, doctor-to-be, love of my life?

he's still around!
he hasn't kicked me to the curb yet
and medical school is an ever-present force in my life. ugh

He is currently in his pediatric rotation at St. John's.
not his favorite.
and it's not because of the sick kids, it's just a lot of work and homework. blah.

He finished up family medicine just before Christmas break and decided that is what he wants to do with his life.
He loved it.  He like the doctors he worked with, he liked the wide age range of patients, the diversity of their ailments, as well as the work load and schedule.
yay for knowing what to specialize in!!!

He just got his final grades in for his first two rotations - Surgery and OB (like 6 months later...) and did extremely well and is continuing to make all the doctors and residents like him (which is great, but not good for me since I DON'T want to do residency in MI and if they love him they'll want him.ugh)
but I'm a good wife and will go where ever... right?

I told Lee I wanted to live somewhere warm so last week he comes home and says "How about Oklahoma?!"
Oklahoma?  It's warm there? hmmmmmmm keep trying.

Last week we also finished all the paper work for his Green Card!
As a Canadian, this will drastically improve his chances of getting a residency in the US because the hospital will not have to sponsor him for a VISA - I am his sponsor! haha :)
It could take up to a year, but we're very hopeful that it will just be a few months.
The process is stupid and expensive... if you're interested in asking me any questions about it thought I'd be happy to help.

As it stands here is the timeline the next year or so

January - Mid February - Pediatrics
Mid February - Mid May - Internal Medicine and finish 3rd year!
May - take that one test in Chicago (I forget what it's called... BSCE? maybe?)
Mid May - June - Lee will have off to study for the STEP 2.  Oh happy day, it doesn't end with Step 1... nor 2 for that matter.
July - begin 4th year (which isn't really a year, but like 30some weeks of rotations)
Fall (I'm not exactly sure August-September-ish) - Apply for residency programs all over the country
Late Fall/Early Winter- interview for said residency programs
February 2014 - finish 4th year rotations!!!
March 2014 - MATCH FOR A RESIDENCY PROGRAM! (I hope and pray!)
May 2014 - Graduate!
July 2014 - start residency!!!!!!!!!!

What once seemed so far away now seems possible! Hallelujah!

Q & A - SO to SO

A friend of mine in Grenada is looking to move to MI and is crossing all her fingers that her husband is placed at St. John's (so cross yours too!)  I'd love to have her and her sweet family nearby!

Here are a few questions she asked me and I'm happy to have a topic to blog about.... keeps me on my toes.  Thought I'd share for anyone else wondering the same things.

*Disclaimer - I have only lived here for about 10 days.  I am in no way an expert.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What do you think about St. Clair Shores to live... too far?  I want to live in Grosse Pointe if we can find something in our price range, but I've looked at SCS and it seems to be cheaper.

I think that living in St. Clair Shores would be great.  It isn't far, just about 10 minutes away from the hospital (maybe a little more with traffic or depending where in SCS you live.  We've driven through a few times and it is absolutely beautiful.  The lake will remind you of Grenada and make you feel at home.  SCS and all the Grosse Pointes run together and are more like one large residential area.
St. Clair Shores will actually be closer to shopping malls and a Target, KMart, Walmart, etc.
SCS also has a park that residents can join (as do all of the "Pointes") http://scsparksrec.net/ and I think that , that is the one with the big water slides!! so the kids will love it! You can get a pass for a family of 4 for $50 for the year (or pay per time)  and that is all information I got off of that website.
The parks in the "Pointes" are free though to the best of my knowledge.

City Place Properties is who we used to get our apartment so it couldn't hurt to call and ask what they have to offer (and you could always drop our name and maybe we'll get a discount or something! hahaha) 


What about houses outside of Grosse Pointe... like right outside the limits... safe or too risky?

To the South and West of Grosse Pointe or SCS - NO.  As you can probably tell I am fairly adventurous and I have explored a tiny bit into Detroit city limits and the shift going along Mack Avenue and Jeffereson Avenue is instant from Grosse Pointe Park to Detroit.  The police from Grosse Pointe will not respond out of city limits and I've heard that the Detroit police basically have deserted parts of the city. Think on the level of Grenada police, but worse.  or so I've heard.  A lady I work with lives in Eastpointe and she says it is absolutely terrible and they sold their house to a rental company cheap just to get out.  The office I work for used to be located about a mile into Detroit and they said that the city literally crumbled around them and they had to get out.
Lee heard yesterday that to save money the city of Detroit was going to stop using street lights in certain neighborhoods..... dark Detroit streets? yikes.
You will be amazed at the difference between the two communities when you get here.
I also want to make a point to say that EVERY person I have met in Grosse Pointe or Detroit has been extremely friendly.  Male and female, black and white, from the doctors who visit the office to the girl taking my order at McDonalds.  Nice people.  Detroit is just on a terrible track with corruption in the government and police and lack of education and a system that isn't helping the people do better.  It's so terribly sad.
There is a rebuild Detroit initiative going on, but I think it is more of a downtown thing.

Is there a Walmart close by? Sam's Club/Costco?

There is a Target really close at the Eastland Mall.  But the Dr. I work for said that is isn't a good place to go alone, especially in the summer when the teens are out of school.   It's in a rough neighborhood.  Buuuuuuttttt, I can probably guarantee I'll be going there.  Lee and I went together and as long as you go during the morning, I think it'd be fine.  There is a mall there, but not with much you'd want to shop at other than Target or Macy's.  They have a Lowes and Home Depot.  Applesbees and Chilis.
A little further is a KMart and a Walmart, in Roseville maybe?? I've only been there once.
I've heard people talk about a Costco but haven't seen one.

In Grosse Pointe there is a Kroger and a Trader Joe's Downtown and a Village Market on Mack, about 10 blocks from the hospital.  As well as lots of pharmacies, restaurants, and other shopping.
The Pointes will have everything you'd ever need, but I've heard about 15-20 minutes north is more variety.

Do the boys need Smart Phones?... (this is a rumor I'm hearing)

Basically no.  Lee doesn't have one and has no intentions of getting one.  He has a pre-paid phone and infrequently needs to text a resident or someone else at the hospital.  Residents at St. John's receive ipads and Lee says EVERYONE else at the hospital have smart phones though.  But we don't exactly go with the flow....
Interesting tid bit though - with a St. John's Hospital ID you get a discount with AT&T!  It's about 22% or somewhere in that range.  We just found it to be too expensive for us and unnecessary really because we have survived just fine this far without smart phones or data plans.  Target has a phone that you can get pre-paid for $30 a month unlimited text and calling.  I have that and Lee has just a basic pre-pay like top up $20 here and there type thing... just like in Grenada!! 

So Lee has weekends off? 

YES!!  Occasionally he'll have to do a weekend shift or be on call.  But for the most part he has Saturday and Sunday off.... and he NEEDS it!   It's just as taxing as school if not more because of all the emotional and physical stress.  

When he comes home does he have to study or can he just relax?

When he comes home during the week he usually has some homework to do, which his residents will assign or just things he's noticed during his shift that he doesn't understand or needs to brush up on to prepare for a patient he is going to have the next day.  We usually have at least a full 2 hours to spend together at night... but he also has been going to bed really early because he gets up at 4:45 and it is a looooong day.

At the end of each rotation he'll write a Shelf Exam on whatever subject he just did so as much studying as he can get done throughout is best.
And then as we get closer to Step 2 (end of 3rd year) time he'll have to study more for that. 
... those stupid tests just keep coming......

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So, there is my little interview.  Have any more questions about medical school, being the spouse of a student, the clinical years, Michigan??  I'd love to answer them!

one step closer...

please join me in a HUGE sigh of relief.............

Lee got his USMLE results!!!
and he passssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssed!
but of course he didn't just pass, he did amazing and I am so so so proud of him.

Now we wait some more.
My life is all about waiting.
Any day now SGU can tell us where we will be going for clinical rotations and I cannot wait!
Then we will begin the apartment and job search immediately!!

{I plan on doing a post about USMLE prep/tips soon when I can get Lee to give me some pointers}

This past week we headed south {not quite as far south as I would have liked} to Georgia to visit my brother and his family and made a fun little trip out of it!  We saw everything between Ohio and Georgia.
I'm not sure anyone has a much fun as Lee and I do together. 
This week was perfect.
Then on Wednesday morning we got his test results and it became a celebration!!
I love having my husband back.
for now anyway...

I want to do a post about all the stuff we did on our trip, because this is sorta like a travel blog, yea?
But for now I'll just share a few pictures.... I need an excuse to blog more anyway.

step 1 complete!

I guess I should have let everyone know that Lee successfully completed the USMLE Step 1 on Monday.
It was one of the longest days of my life. waiting.
But alas he called and said it went well, Praise the Lord!

And now we wait.
3-4 weeks to hear the score...

Things are still just going along here. same ole same ole.

I got to talk to my Jade (and Jada!) on the phone the other day and it made me so happy. 
Jade said "Miss Kelsey?? You good?"
ohhh sweet babies.

decisions.

Life really gets in the way of this blog.
and I can't help but feel like I don't have much that worthwhile to blog about... but I know later on I'll wish I had blogged more about this time of our lives.

Lee officially changed his USMLE test date to March 12th.
He was signed up to take it on February 29th, but the luxury of being a January start at SGU is that the students have a little extra time after 5th term before they begin clinicals in the spring/summer.... so he could easily delay the most important exam of his life a couple weeks.  And he got a few weeks off at Christmas before the study marathon began.
I tried to ask Lee for a few tips or pointers that I could share with others preparing for the USMLE, but I guess we'll wait to see how the actual exam goes before we'll start dishing out advice ;)
One thing is that he mentioned is the practice tests out there.  He wishes he had taken a practice test a couple weeks earlier than he did so he'd be able to better gauge his progress and/or what areas he was weak in.  He's taken 2 practice test, other than the one all the students take at the end of term 5, and I believe he is taking another this week.
He's currently draining his brain this weekend doing as many practice questions as humanly possible in a day.
I would say he studies around 14 hours a day.
my.hero.

enough about him... he'll probably complain or say I didn't say something properly anyway (hi Lee)

I am still loving my job.  Lee says that I just get attached to things and people easily... but I really love these kids.  5th graders.  Not quite as obnoxious as teenagers, but have great personalities and can carry on interesting conversations... and still think that the new teacher is cool.  I can't help but pick out my favorites... and I can't help but take on the hurt in a lot of their lives.  In a class of a hundred and some 5th graders there are kids dealing with a whole range of issues from homelessness, recent death of a parent, divorce, learning disabilities, living in poverty, and we are expecting them to be able to perform on a state standardized test.  Some days I would rather give them a hug rather than drive the formula for circumference into their brains.

But what do they say?  Education is the way out or something like that?

Which leads me to my next point.... I've seriously been considering going back to school.
and not as the teacher.... for social work.
A school social worker to be exact.

Would that be perfect?
Yes I think so.  I think that after 24 years I may actually be finding my calling in life.
God led me to Grenada and then to this job in the school so that I would see that I really do love working with children and that my passion is truly for the poor and those needing a voice.

Prayers are accepted while I weigh my options of master's programs, be it online or at a school in Michigan (prayers accepted to us being placed there as well!!) and the whole full time/part time bit because I most definitely need to continue working until my Lee finishes medical school.

I figured if I'm going to do it, I better do it now because let's be honest.... as soon as Lee has that MD behind his name this girl is having a baby :)

update on life

Hello friends!
I have not forgotten this blog I promise!
Life back in America has been just as hectic and stressful as I could have imagined it would be as I was sitting on the soft sand, in the hot sun, listening to the crystal clear blue waters splashing..... ah Grenada.
I'm at a weird point where I would almost rather not think about Grenada because it seriously makes me too sad.  I don't look at pictures and I don't watch the videos.
My friends in Grenada must think that I have abandoned them... I'm not active on facebook or blogging (obviously) but it seriously is hard for me to do that.  I do miss all of you!!!
I realize I must get over this if I want to continue to have Grenada apart of my life and I want those kids to remember me.  I must start my letter writing and penny saving for the plane ticket to my home in the Caribbean.

But here I am. in Ohio.  It has really been an amazing winter so far.  Eerily warm.
I practically never wear a coat and haven't used any of my scarves or gloves.
It's been above 60 practically every single day lately. 
I drive through these country roads with the windows down and the music blasting..... in my van.
Surprise! Lee and I are now the proud owners of a minivan.
My oldest brother so generously gave us an offer on his old van that we could not refuse when he purchased a new one and now were are a two car family.
It's in nearly perfect condition, my brother takes great care of his cars, and it will come in handy when we begin the process of moving.... where ever it is we move to.  Thanks Brother!

Want to know more about Lee?
me too.
He has been in Canada for a month now and I have been here.
We talk on the phone once a day for about 30minutes - an hour.
If I'm lucky I get a couple emails during the day.
He is so engrossed in studying for the USMLE that he literally doesn't go anywhere except church on Sunday mornings.
How does he do it?
I don't know.  I couldn't.  I could never be a doctor. this much I know is true.
He studies probably 15hours a day. and exercises and is eating so healthy it makes me feel guilty when I'm inhaling my Little Debbies that I missed so much while in Grenada. 
He is a machine!

What have I been up to? 
a little of this a little of that.
I have been so blessed with an amazing family and group of friends.
My parents have welcomed me home with open arms and I see my friends nearly every single day.
It's a perfect set up... if only my Lee were here.

I have been substitute teaching for my old school district and it has been an adventure every single day.
8th graders, a boy with severe violence issues, an autistic child.... and next week I begin doing test intervention/prep with what is rumored to be the worst 5th grade class in the history of Rock Hill.

I've also inadvertently started my own wreath business.
I did purposefully begin an Etsy store and I was showing a friend some of the things I have made and she asked if I could make her a wreath she saw on Pinterest and it sparked a few more people wanting them and before I knew it I have over a dozen orders for wreaths!
If you'd like to win one of these said wreaths I am currently doing a giveaway on my other blog Kelsey Inspired, it ends tonight!  or if you live in the tri-state area I will  gladly sell you one :)

Let see what else have I been doing....
I'm working in the children's department at my church.  I can remember in high school and probably college vowing to never work with children and being convinced that it was not my calling and I really didn't like kids other than the ones I was related to....  what happened to that?!
I still am fairly confident that I do not want to be a teacher but as I was explaining to one of my old teachers that I was interested in social work they said that teaching involves a lot of that and you really have a great opportunity to impact a child's life.... but I kinda would like to skip the whole teaching part. lol.

I'm reading the Hunger Games. Finally! Last person in America to do so I'm sure.  I've read the first two books in about 10 hours.  Could not stop. and I'm only not reading the 3rd one right now because I felt I really MUST blog and then make wreaths :)
Katniss and I are from the same area.  Appalachia.  interesting that in the future our people are still coal miners.

So yea there it is.  I'm basically reverted back to my high school self.
Living with mom and dad, hanging out with all my high school friends, and am husbandless.

If you get the chance say a prayer for Lee as he mentally prepares for his exam!
February 29th sort of determines the rest of our lives... but it's no big deal. no pressure.

Clinical Placements

Today is the day we put in our choices for clinical rotations!!

Last night there was a meeting about clinicals.  I didn't get to go...  I was busy playing with orphans, cooking dinner, watching crabs race, and a gorgeous fireworks display on Grand Anse Beach, but Lee of course went.  He said it was kind of a waste of time because we have already done so much research on the clinical process he didn't learn any new information but I thought I'd share with you what we through to be important:

1.  There are 4 main "clinical centers" - New York, New Jersey, Detroit, and Bakersfield California.
Clinical Centers are places where you can do your entire 2 years of rotations in one spot.  When I say New York and New Jersey there are multiple clinical centers within these states, but only 1 in Detroit and 1 in Bakersfield.

2.  There are several other places you can do clinicals, but these require moving around from city to city or to different hospitals, not ideal for a married couple or a spouse like me who needs a job!  Other areas include: Florida, San Diego, Maryland, and others within New York and Jersey.

3.  People who did the GSP NewCastle Program cannot go to New Jersey (I also learned from Amber that you cannot pump your own gas in New Jersey.lol)

4.  There are only 16 spots in Detroit!  Yikes!  That's a lot of competition for Lee and I to get in!! He's in a class of 500some and I'm positive way more than 16 want Detroit.

5.  Only people who started in January and/or finish in December can go to Bakersfield and you must have a 3.2 GPA.

5.  Detroit and Bakersfield are the only spots that care about GPA or USMLE scores.

6.   Things they do give preference for :  married couples, kids, where you are from, job options for spouse, family close by, pets, and things like that.

7.  They may only give you a 2 week notice before you start your clinicals!  They told Lee's class they'd know by April 16th and they may start May 1st!

8.  Having all your shots and medical records up to date are important to speed up the process, so is taking the USMLE earlier than other people.  The sooner they have all your information the sooner they can place you!

9.  The average (SGU) student needs/takes 8 weeks to study for the USMLE.

10.  The average SGU student does better than the average US medical student on the USMLE.

11. Last term 26% of the class got above a 240 on the USMLE, which is awesome!!

12.  You get to put 3 places down that you'd prefer to go.  They now do it by State, not town, hospital, etc.



Lee and I's 3 choices are as follows:

#1 - Detroit, Michigan - St. John's Hospital.  Reasons - Lee is Canadian, it is close to the boarder, he could easily cross over if something is wrong medically or a Visa issue, I am from Ohio it is close to Ohio, Lee's family is close by in Toronto,  Lee has a cousin in Windsor, I have lots of family nearby in Northern Ohio, we are very financially strapped and Detroit has a much lower cost of living than say New York.
My reasons for wanting Detroit - I really want to work in an underprivileged area and I think that Detroit is the perfect place

#2 - Bakersfield, California - Kern Medical Center.  Reasons - we really don't want to go to New Jersey or New York (ok that's not really what we're going to tell SGU but that's the real reason)

#3 - Any Clinical Center, meaning anywhere we can do the full 2 years without moving - SGU please don't  send us to New Jersey... but if you do, at least we'll be with lots of friends...

Here is the list of hospitals available to us for Spring 2012

Spring 2012 Hospitals for present 5^th Term students:

Location	Cores	Comments
New York
Brooklyn Hospital Center	IM, OB, PD, S, P	P –Metropolitan Hospital Center FM
Coney Island Hospital	IM, OB, PD, S, P	P - Maimonides Medical Center EM
Flushing Medical Center	IM, OB, PD, S	FM – Brooklyn Hospital Center
Jamaica Hospital & Medical Center	IM, OB, PD, S, P	FM – Brooklyn Hospital Center
Lincoln Medical & Mental Health Center/Brooklyn Hospital Center/Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center	IM, OB, PD, P, S	S – Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center FM – Brooklyn Hospital Center
Mount Vernon Hospital	IM
Richmond University Medical Center	IM, OB, PD, S, P	FM – Brooklyn Hospital Center
Sound  Shore Medical Center of Westchester	IM, PD	FM
New Jersey
Jersey City Medical Center	IM, OB, S	ATYR
Monmouth Medical Center	IM, OB, PD, S	ATYR
St. Barnabas Medical Center/Newark Beth Israel Medical Center/Bergen Regional Medical Center	IM, OB, PD, S, P	Students should expect to complete rotations at all 3 locations. ATYR
St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center	IM, OB, PD, S, P	FM
St. Michael’s Medical Center/Trinitas Regional Medical Center/St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center	IM, OB, PD, P	P – Trinitas Regional Medical Center Ob & PD – St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center
Michigan
St. John Hospital & Medical Center/Providence Hospital	IM, OB, PD, S, P	P – Providence Hospital ( limited availability ) FM
California
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center	S	FM
Kern Medical Center	IM, OB, PD, S, P	PD – Under FM residency umbrella.
San Joaquin General Hospital	IM, S	FM (limited availability)
Florida
Cleveland Clinic/Miami Children’s Hospital/Queens Hospital Center/Lutheran Medical Center	IM, PD, OB, S, P	PD – Miami Children’s Hospital OB & P – Queens Hospital Center S – Lutheran Medical Center
Maryland
Spring Grove Hospital/Holy Cross Hospital	P, OB
UK Start Dates
January 30, 2012

KEY:                                                                              

IM  Medicine                                              FM – Family Medicine                                                    

OB  Ob/Gyn                                   EM – Emergency Medicine                              

PD  Pediatrics                                ATYR – Additional Third Year Requirement 

P     Psychiatry                          

S     Surgery                                  Some hospitals require a 6 week ATYR for both educational and scheduling purposes.                            

Say a prayer for us that we are sent to Detroit!

Back to school 1 last time.

Lee started 5th term yesterday!
the final term in Grenada!
It's like we're seniors all over again.
There are so many new people on the island right now and if you're sitting next to someone on the bus or in line at the store they want to chat (this will end soon) and they ask "first term?" hoping that I am & we're in the same boat, and when I say "5th term" their eyes get big & they're like wow! you've been here forever!  haha.
1.5 years = forever.

I remember when we first got here though thinking that it was never ending. 5th term really is a lifetime away from 1st.
and now we're here.
I feel like we have lived so much in this past year and half. experienced so much.
and we're not even halfway through with this medical school fiasco!!

While I am looking forward to getting back to real life. jobs, house, car... wait.
no. I'm not looking forward to that.
the only advantage of going back to the States is that we are further along in this journey and closer to being out of debt and closer to starting a family... and closer to having money to vacation in Grenada!

Grenada on a budget

it's no secret that Lee and I are tight with our money (or lack of?)
and I'm beginning to find myself being much more cheap than him.
shocked? me too!

I think its the pressure of having to get a job as soon as I get back to the states and knowing that we'll be depending heavily on me to "provide" for the family.
It honestly makes me not want to ever spend another dollar.

While I often complain about how expensive things are in Grenada, it is possible to get by on a small budget.

1st - forget about all the things you're used to at home.

• Air Conditioning - the electric bill will be insane and even though some say "it's worth it to not be hot" it's not to me.  If I can sit in front of a fan and save myself literally hundreds of US dollars a month, I will.
• Clothes Dryer - another drain on the electricity.  Use that hot sun and hang them outside. 
• Socializing with friends at restaurants -  this is something I do all the time at home.  If I'm meeting friends it's typically at a restaurant.  Here you can go to the beach or pool and not have to spend money.
• Shopping - this is an easy one because there is no where to shop really. 

2nd - save $$$ at the grocery store.

• Brand names - we're lucky to have an IGA here and IGA has lots of great store brands, especially cereal.  You can save several dollars by buying IGA brand instead. 
• Ice cream, pop, chips - so. much. money.  We rarely buy it and it is a "treat" as much as I hate that word. 
• Eat less. haha serious, have you seen how much weight my husband has lost and how amazing he looks?  We eat WAY too much at home!! too many snacks and extras. 
• Cook-  I cook every single day.   I learn how to make the stuff we see on tv and online and its fun and cheaper.  I also bake a lot.  bread, cookies, donuts, pretzels, etc.  Because if there is one thing that is cheap it's sugar and flour.

3rd -  Don't give into the pressure of others.

• Medical school is a weird environment.  A lot of people already think they are doctors and begin spending money as if they are.
• You don't have to go $300,000 in debt.  It is possible to do it.  Save what money you do have, don't spend foolishly, and remember that you have to pay that back whether you pass 4th term or not. 

4th - travel expenses

•  Lee and I stayed over summer break, saved a lot of money and had the time of our lives.  Because we didn't pay to fly home we were able to visit some other islands and have a mini-vacation.  
• When we do fly we search for the very.best.deal.  You won't catch me paying $1000 to get here.  So what if you have to fly a different rate or route than you wanted to?  We saved $800 last August by coming the day after Lee's classes started. serious.
• We didn't ship stuff down. The apartments are furnished, you live in tiny summer clothing, and you can buy what you do need off someone who did pay to ship it all down here really cheap.

Lee and I's budget breakdown.  I have no shame in talking about money, mostly because its not really our money.  It's some bank in Canada's. and they will only give us $150,000.  So we don't really have much wiggle room in this "budget"

•  Rent - $650US per month - includes water, gas, cable, and internet. Came completely furnished, washer and dryer, AC, and the nicest landlord you will ever meet.  And it was brand new. We were the first people to live here, sleep in this bed, use the bathroom...
  So it's small. 1 bedroom, 1 bath.  My only complaint is something I never even thought about and that's seating.  It's a little tough to have people over because there are only 4 chairs in the whole house, but that hasn't stopped me from having a few little parties or what not.
  But I can assure you that this is not the norm.  Most people I know pay over $1000 a month.
  
• Electric - $80US per month - we are so good with the electric.  Like I said no AC, no dryer, and I am always flipping switches. The only thing that is ever switched on for very long in our house is the computers.  I don't even leave the microwave or TV plugged in. maybe a little excessive. 
• Groceries - $225US per month - roughly.  There are only  two of us and we don't eat a ton and like I said I homemake stuff and we don't eat expensive brands. rice and beans for Lee! haha jk.
• Other - minimal.  Sometimes we go on trips with the SOs, rarely we go out to eat, and whatever else comes up.
• Tuition - ready for this?? $50,000ish a year. sigh. did you do the math?? isn't that more than $150,000 if medical school is 4 years? yep. luckily there is a scholarship, a little Canadian govt. loan, and my hardworking husband worked his whole life and saved every penny he ever made, and I work enough here in Grenada to pay for groceries and the little extras.

Sometimes I wish we could just spend whatever we want because someday we'll have money to pay all this off... but I try to remind myself that the sooner we are out of debt the sooner we can start to provide a proper future for our family (and start a family) and give to all the "causes" I want so badly to help.
oh and a house. I really want a house.

Operation get out of debt in 10 years starts January 1st.  When I get a job.
someone please give me a job!