The countdown begins

I'm nearly finished, which is both a relief and a bit depressing. There are many things I miss about home, decent food, my cats, my family, my friends, a stove, my bed. On the other hand, I really do like it here. I like the land (that may be a bit of a understatement), I like the work and I like the people. I will be sad to leave, although I am very much looking forward to returning home. I could consider settling here, but I would need (a) Better living conditions (it would be really nice to have somewhere to put my clothes, a normal trash can, a freezer, I could go on) (b) Family or friends (or failing that, pets).

I think I could be happy here. I like the low population density, the scenery and possibility of having a few acres of land. The absence of shopping doesn't really bother me. Missoula is only an hour's drive away and it's a growing city. The food thing is a bother, but I'm pretty sure that if I had a proper kitchen, I could get by without any problems. Where I am now, I'm just limited to whatever I can fix in a microwave, which isn't all that much. I am really, really tired of noodles, corn and potatos.

One thing that I've enjoyed about being here is the different perspective on career paths. I was talking to my attending about it earlier today, and he was explaining the different options. I find it very exciting - I could literally live anywhere in the country and probably find good work. If I stick with peds and primary care, that is. Where there's people, there's a need for healthcare in some capacity. I kind of like the idea of traveling and working...move somewhere, work there for a year or two, then move on. I'm not sure it would really work - I'm sure that's the wrong way to do stuff like raise children and buy a house. If I'm still single when I'm looking for work, it might be a fun thing to do. I could probably get away with doing it once or twice. Multiple docs have told me that the first job never sticks - when you're starting out it's hard to know what you will value in a practice. The docs I've worked with here all worked and lived somewhere totally different before setting down in Montana.

So, it's a lot to think about. I have plenty of time to consider everything. I really do regret returning to basic sciences instead of clinical work. I would much rather work towards getting better at histories and physicals than memorize bookwork. I suppose this is a really bad attitude to have, considering the boards around the corner.

Soon, I will upload pictures and update the booklist. Soon!