It’s 6:35 am, and
after a long week I should be hidden deep under my comforter sleeping, but I am
awake and happy so I thought I would catch my friends up.
Last year after
graduating and completing the dreaded “Boards” I settled into what I thought
would be a perfect job, working in a family practice clinic. I originally
thought that was the environment I wanted to be in. That initially seemed comfortable to
me. My goal was to have my own panel of patients and grow with a mentor.
Unfortunately my ideas may not have been the goal of the clinic.
But, we are
ultimately responsible for the doors of opportunity we open and close in our
lives. My friend Beau turned in my CV/Resume and as if serendipitously, I was
officially offered a new challenge. And as one door closed another amazing door
opened.
This week was my
first week in my new job, working in a wellness clinic and urgent care setting.
It’s funny (in my mind) how I am drawn back into the urgent care setting,
keeping in line with my Army Emergency Medicine roots. The office is filled
with various personalities, all very driven in their own ways, eager to teach
and grow. It’s funny how your personal challenges in life can change. I had previously
felt somehow stuck in my previous job decision, and even though my commute was
less than 5 min, it felt long and dreadful. I would leave work happy to have
small opportunities to see patients, eyes sore from completing other people’s
labs and responsibilities, ultimately feeling out of place.
This week, however,
is completely different. My commute is longer, but I no longer dread driving to
work. I have new challenges each day, I have read more on uptodate , journals,
and prescribing guidelines, and had the ability to present a few challenging
cases to my peers who are genuinely interested in teaching. Even our “Provider”
meeting was a collaboration of presenting cases and reviewing x-ray films (We
have old school films and I LOVE IT!).
Each night, I have
come home tired, even to the point to falling asleep at 7 and 8 pm. That
fatigue is great, and I feel like I am getting my groove back.(Insert Michelle
doing her goofy, white girl, I’m happy and I don’t care who is looking "groove").
The best feeling of all is seeing my patients smile, feel comforted and
sometimes even laugh. My last patient of the day said “I haven’t laughed in 2
months, thank you”.
2013 seems to bring
other blessings as well. My friend Kellie submitted me for an award with the
Albuquerque Junior League http://www.jlabq.org. I had the opportunity to attend one of their
meetings and meet interesting and motivating women. That in and of itself is
truly inspiring, however, I am grateful to have friends like Kellie who
motivate me to be the person I am. Mountain Man and I are doing great and are
planning for great things this year. My family is doing well. My friends are
amazing. And now at 7:00am, I am going to tackle my to-do list from this week I
have neglected. Here we go…
