Stuff from March, 2012
This is the archive of tumbledry happenings that occurred on March, 2012.
This is the archive of tumbledry happenings that occurred on March, 2012.
I actually started crying for joy last night, jumping up and down and hugging Mykala. I had my hand up in front of the screen for a few seconds after I’d logged in, hoping for the best and bracing for the worst. We took a closer look at the numbers… and then called to confirm them this morning, which is when I finally let the last adrenaline-fueled knot in my chest uncurl. I don’t know if I’ll write more about it because, frankly, I’m ready to be done tagging things “dental school”. But, the news: I passed my final FINAL final set of boards. Worrying, waiting, for four years… I finally got to say to Mykala and my parents today: “I’m out of the woods.”
Despite my idea that I wasn’t going to write more about it, I might as well record this thing for posterity. I’d like to describe in detail, both for myself, for my wife, for my future children, what it was like to survive “the worst hazing in all of medicine.”
The first thing you must understand is the way that licensing works. Licenses are doled out by states, and certain fiefdoms have been established around the US where you have to take a certain test to practice dentistry there. So, you do not receive your license, that is, your legal permit to do the job of a dentist, from your dental school. You receive it from the state in which you plan to work. Thus, upon graduation, you receive your school’s diploma and then you submit materials to apply for a license. I think that all of us working in Minnesota will apply for “Licensure by Exam”. That requires the following:
Mykala’s getting her MA in Human Development and another MA in Counseling and Psychological Services, so she’s reached the point where she’ll do something called a practicum. It’s not unlike an internship, except you earn credits for doing the work and getting the experience. We’ve talked a lot, and Mykala is interested in, well, not pathologizing people. Clinical psychology, the DSM diagnoses, etc. have their place, but she wants to take a well-adjusted person and help them stretch to reach their potential. So, Mykala interviewed for her practicum at the St. Thomas Career Development on Friday. The interview went so well that they called back later that day to offer her the position!
The pollen outside today was actually visible. It was raining pollen onto the car, and I could see many little granules of it running in delicate rivulets down the glass. Surprisingly, both Mykala and I seem to either be getting used to the constant congestion of allergy season or our bodies are adjusting. Mykala might have mono, and by extension so might I. Both of us have histories of remarkably poor ear nose and throat health. My future children (not yet on the way, though Mykala and I frequently talk about you in the abstract), if you are reading this, I am very sorry for your ears — you can blame both myself and your mother.
I’m waiting for the right combination: a patient with a sense of humor and a mildly but not-too-difficult extraction, to try out this little gem: “man… this is like pulling teeth.”
Or, it’s possible that I should just keep that one to myself.
I think this is an uptempo house remix of a 70s funk song? Pandora + late night = GET YOUR FUNK ON.
I think I’m holding a vigil tonight. And not in the sense of “I think I plan on it,” but rather I mean “I think this is happening right now.” So, what is the subject or purpose of my vigil? I’m reminiscing about life in school at St. Thomas and the U while looking ahead at my life. This involves a lot of mindless clicking around on Facebook, which I usually try to avoid. I find myself regretting things I both did and did not do in my past, and wondering about the future. I’m listening to Sigur Rós. It’s a quarter after 1 in the morning. Mykala is asleep on the couch.