Since I have, sort of, been getting the blogging bug back, I thought it might be worth an update post of sorts. It has been since immediately after the move that I wrote much in general about life, and since we are living it in its full glory, well, here you go.
-The physical aspect of moving the NH went well. The emotional aspect has been more trying. For me, I was able to pretty much adapt instantly. I was thrown, head deep, into my new life as an intern. I spent every day around awesome people, doing what I have dreamed about since I was 14. But for the rest of the family it was a bit more trying, especially for my wife. I think we just assumed she would make the transition as easily as I did. That was, um, a bit naive of us. Nevertheless, it is getting better. Much better.
-One of the greatest parts of the move and change, for me especially, is that I now have friends. Real friends. MY friends. More on this later (it deserves its own entry).
-Life as an intern has the potential to be hell. For us here at Dartmouth, it is far from it. Sure, we work long, hard days. We have a lot to learn and a lot to do. But you know what? They treat us well. There isn't some vindictive mentally that we need to suffer because someone else did. Again, this deserves its own entry.
-I am now almost 5 rotations (out of 13) through this year. Some have been rough, some have been great. All have really helped me learn and grow. I am already to the point where I end up doing some (minor) cases almost entirely on my own, with the attending talking me through it (and supervising, of course). It is amazing the confidence you get when you have no choice but to just "do it".
-Speaking of confidence, I have discovered that having the confidence to do something can be the largest part of seeming competent. Here I am, a doc for 5 months, and I have had ER physicians defer completely to me in a couple of cases because I am "the surgeon" (their words). Don't be surprised if this becomes a full article.
-Our oldest is loving 2nd grade. School up here is just so small. There are less than 15 in her class, with 2 teachers. That is insane. But it is good. They get good, close attention, and she is adjusting. Her biggest struggle is her perfectionism. We are trying to teach her that sometimes, doing her best in the alloted time is more important than doing her absolute best.
-The two youngest play together very well, for the most part. It is fun to see Aubrey play with her little brother. And he eats it up.
-We are still looking for a house. It is a bit frustrating, to be honest. The market here isn't completely out of control, but houses are quite expensive for not a lot of home. We are trying to save, trying to make sure we find the best option for us. We do have some preferences on where we end up, something we wouldn't have known had we not been here for a bit.
-VA hospitals are really great for what they are. But anyone who thinks the government should be in charge of health care needs to spend a bit of time working in the VA system. I will fight government controlled health care tooth and nail.
Well, it would appear that this article is mostly a teaser of sorts for future articles. But it helped me get some ideas of what to write about. Now to just buckle down and make myself write.