Amidst "hand dermatitis" (imagine little, tremendously itchy bumps under the skin of your fingertips and palms), working like a dog (Where does that saying come from anyway? My dog is a bum.), trying to be a decent mom, wading through mountains of Girl Scout cookies (I volunteered to be cookie mom, because I'm that stupid.), taking naps, downloading songs for my iPod, and whatever else it is I've been doing (which isn't exercising this week), I am finally getting my shit together and going to school. For (get this, with all my parentheses), English writing. After all the debate, contemplation, and research I did last year, I scrapped the old plan and decided to go with what I've wanted to do since the third grade. Plus, English majors get accepted into med school quite well from what I've read, so if I do ever decide to be Dr. Cindy (as in PhD, not MD), I have a good chance of pursuing that too. I get to write, and I don't have to totally trash my interest in physiology.
I thought I'd have a problem with anatomy class before, but after having my face a couple inches from various wounds, I think I can handle it. If nothing else, this job has provided me some interesting sights. I've seen tendons, bones, fresh amputations, necrotic digits, and various other sad and dreadful things. I'm the same girl who passed out in Driver's Ed while watching "Motorcycle Accidents". Now the only thing that really bothers me are the odors, mainly those of people who don't seem to be familiar with a shower or change of clothes. And as odors go, I'd rather deal with a smelly wound than be stuck in a room with a patient who smells like an outhouse. While far from glamorous and usually met by the reaction of "gross!" from people even in the medical field, I like the science and humanity.
Unfortunately, I've spent more than my share of time in the office because I'm too damn good at everything I do (I'm cursed and really not that arrogant. Read the archives.), and there wasn't a secretary for the first five months after the clinic opened. Now we have a secretary, but there's still so much work to do that I'm still in the office more than the clinic. The only advantage is I can plug my iPod into the computer.
While I have found interest in what I do, I've also found boredom, or more accurately, restraint. I can do so much more than I am allowed. I don't have the letters behind my name that allow me to do more than clean and dress wounds, take blood pressures, and prepare patients for the real treatments. I know I can accomplish so much more. I'm much smarter than my title, which is part of what is pushing me to get a few letters behind my name, though they won't be the letters for me to continue what I'm doing now. It's interesting, but not what I want. There is more to life than wounds and limb swelling.
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One Year Ago Today:
