Busy Week

This has been quite the busy week. Steph’s mom went home on Monday – we already miss having her here. The boys especially had so much fun playing with Nana. We are so grateful for all the help you gave us during these trying few weeks and can’t wait to spend more time together in January.

On Tuesday I took my second biggest test of medical school – it is called the USMLE Step 2 CK (United States Medical Licensing Exam, Step 2, Clinical Knowledge). I had to go to a testing center about 20 minutes away. The test consisted of 368 multiple choice questions divided into 8 blocks of 46 questions, with an hour to do each block – so 8 blocks total. You also get 1 hour of break time that you can use throughout the day as you want. Needless to say, it is a very long and mentally exhausting exam. I feel pretty good about my performance and hope that when I get my score back in the next 6 weeks it will reflect those feelings. :) Now I have some time off before the next “big” test – Step 3 of the licensing exams, which most people take near the end of their first year of residency (the internship year).

It felt so good to get that test done – no more having to spend every free minute doing practice questions online. Grandma Faun is here visiting and helping out with baby Isaac and the other boys, and she offered to watch the boys Tuesday night when I got home so we could go out to dinner to celebrate. We took her up on her offer and enjoyed a nice dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Thanks grandma!

I had my first interview this week for a transitional year program at St. Luke’s, a hospital here in Milwaukee. Just as a reminder, I am applying to one year transitional year (intern year) programs and 3 year dermatology programs that will begin after I finish the transitional year. So far I have 6 transitional year and 7 dermatology interviews scheduled over the next few months. My first dermatology interview is the end of this month.

So for my interview Friday I had to be at St. Luke’s at 8:00am. There were 5 of us interviewing. This program has 13 spots available, and they said they interview about 80-100 people for those spots. They showed us a PowerPoint about the program, and then we were each interviewed by two doctors – the director and his assistant. One of the two had previously looked over our application and so already knew quite a bit about us, and the other was meeting us fresh for the first time – that way, they could get two different perspectives on us to help in choosing who they wanted. I think the interviews went really well and we had a lot to speak about in each one. Then we were taken on a tour of the hospital by two of the interns currently in the program, and then they took us to lunch, where we could sit and casually ask questions about the program. I am really impressed by this program – how much time and effort they put into the interns, the variety and flexibility of schedules, and how happy the interns seemed. It helps that several people in the ward are currently in the program or have been in the past, and so we have been able to talk with them and get their opinions, and everyone that has done that program really likes it.

Yesterday was our stake temple day. I ended up going down with a friend from the ward, Keith Wells, since both of our wives had just recently given birth and needed to stay home to feed the little ones. We had fun getting to know each other a little better on the drive down and back. I love going to the temple because I always learn so much while I am there and come back feeling so refreshed and full of peace. I can enter with lots of thoughts or troubles on my mind and leave with answers to my questions and feelings of comfort that things will work out. It is a small sacrifice to make time to get to the temple, but the blessings that come from the experience are so much bigger.

When we got back Keith helped me to set up our network between my laptop and our desktop so that I can print and share files over the wireless connection through the router (thanks Mom and Dad Bradshaw – we love it). So now I can sit on my couch in the front room and write things on my laptop (like this blog), save files to our shared file that Steph can access over on the other computer, or print a copy of my blog entry for Steph to add to the journal she is keeping of our blog entries – pretty cool. I love technology.

Today at church the theme in sacrament meeting was on gratitude – fitting, with Thanksgiving coming up this week. As the speakers were talking, I just started to reflect on all the things that I have to be grateful for. Heavenly Father continues to bless me and my family with all the things that we need. He makes sure that we are taken care of while here in Milwaukee, away from most of the family, with four little kids, surviving on medical school loans, and trying to get into a really competitive residency (dermatology). I am so grateful for my knowledge of a Heavenly Father who loves us and knows us personally and who we can talk with in prayer; of His Son and our Savior Jesus Christ, who sacrificed everything so that I can be happy and return to live with them; for a living prophet who receives revelation in our day to lead the church, for the scriptures that we can go to for answers to life’s big questions, and for all the blessings that come through the plan of salvation and being a member of this church.

Now we are listening to beautiful music by Jon Schmidt while I write this blog. Camden is dancing in the background and Isaac is watching with wide eyes. Sundays are so wonderfully nice and relaxing – a day away from the commotions of the world and everyday life; a day to spend with the family and just enjoy being together.