Applying = Good Practice

When A began the process of getting into medical school (I'll begin with studying for the MCATs since I wasn't around in high school) it gave a glimpse into our future. He had tons of late nights studying, essay upon essay to write, long months apart, and less and less money due to applications and interviews. Pretty much how we live now or will in the near future :)

I met up with a good friend yesterday and she asked me, "How do you handle it? How can you spend so little time with your husband and still make it through?". My answer? I was lucky enough to know my future husband was going to be a doctor and when we began to talk about potentially becoming engaged I had time to decide if I could handle medical school and residency. And I also had lots of practice before medical school.

How the application process prepared me to be a medical spouse:

1. 2 month away rotations during third year do not seem as daunting when you have already spent six months apart when your significant other goes to the middle-of-nowhere-West-Africa to gain good experience for his personal statement by joining the Peace Corps (whoa long run-on sentence). Yes - this included spotty cell phone service (we talked about once a month, if that) and internet access only when he was at the hospital for health problems (it was especially crappy to be excited when he was sick...).

2. Going to school during the day is always followed by studying deep into the night. Dinners and fifteen minute breaks are lifesavers. As well as date nights. Libraries are the enemy.

3. Medical school is really, really expensive. Not only are there primary and secondary applications at $100+ a pop, there are plane trips, hotels, prep classes, and interview gear. This continues into medical school with random books, miscellaneous lab fees, USMLE prep, and residency interviews. Savings and budgets are your friend. State schools are highly recommended for the future of your student loan payments.

4. Proofreading skills and the ability to handle conversations about every, single part of the human body are a must. I can't even tell you how many essays I've proofread or slides of body parts I've looked at.

5. Traveling and moving to new places is pretty much mandatory. We moved from my home state to A's when we began our adventure and so far have traveled quite a bit for interviews and buffing up his residency application. Hopefully more to come in the future! (And this coming from the girl who used to have panic attacks and needed Valium to fly!)

6. Keep busy. The busier you are the less you focus on not having your husband around. Work out, clean house, cook, hang out with friends, work a second job - anything to keep from nagging your spouse for time he or she doesn't have. I almost prefer this because then I never take our time together for granted!

These are some key points I'll touch on in other posts. Hopefully I'll figure out how to upload a picture or two as well to keep things a bit more interesting. If you have any questions about the pre-med school process please feel free to ask in the comments. I don't know everything but I do know a lot about it!