Hello dear readers!
A happy (belated) new year!
I can hardly believe it has been almost 6 years since I changed careers from working as a research scientist to pursuing a career in medicine. Four years of medical school and almost 2 years of residency later, I can say that through all the smiles and tears, it was worth it and I feel blessed to have such a rewarding career.
Since my last update, I have completed rotations in ER, family medicine, mental health and radiology. I am currently doing pediatrics ER which, although has unusual work hours, has been a great rotation so far!
Lots of great things to report…I obtained the provincial permit that will allow me to practice in my region and I have a job lined up at a great clinic where I previously did some of my rotations. It is close to home (so happy to leave the long commute and traffic behind!) and based in a beautiful area close to the water. The team I will work with is fantastic!
I have my final licensing exams in April and will be done residency at the end of June (4 months 9 days 21 hours and 34 minutes to go, but who’s counting!) I plan to take the summer off to travel and spend more time with the family, with the goal of starting practice at the end of August.
Over the past few months, I have definitely struggled with anxiety and at times felt like I was running a marathon with my energy slowly fading. I was encouraged by the verses in Philippians that encourage us to “press on towards the goal” and that “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds“.
I also regularly meditated on this verse from 2 Timothy 1:7 “for the Lord has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and sound mind.” I like to break down this verse into 3 parts, essentially replacing fear with 3 things:
- Power: the strength, motivation and resilience that we need to face each day and every challenge that comes along
- Love: focusing outwardly on loving others and giving others our best, showing ourselves self-love, being less critical of ourselves and focusing less on what others think of us
- Sound mind: mental resilience, a mind at peace, letting go of the worries about the future and things that are outside of our control
As always, I am continually thankful for my beautiful children and my wonderful husband who has painstakingly supported me through out this whole process, never complaining, never wavering, but being my solid rock when I was weak! Exciting news to follow in the next few months as we plan HIS career change! Stay tuned!