Please call me an MS3!

I finally took my boards on Thursday! It feels great to get those out of the way. But now I feel very unsure about how I did. Although I have done well on previous standardized tests, this test was much different and I have NO clue how I did. I guess I will just have to wait for six weeks to make sure I don't have to take it again. When I get stressed about my score I try to remind myself that it doesn't matter in the long run. . . I will still be a doctor! (Side note: It actually does matter if I want a good residency!) Just as nobody cared in college what my ACT and SAT scores were and how nobody in med school cares what my MCAT score was, people in my residency and beyond won't care what I got on my Step 1.

Zoe sitting next to me as I study on the couch (pardon my looks and pjs). She looks bored, I don't blame her.

For those of you unfamiliar with the USMLE Step 1 exam, I'll explain how the test is set up. We take the test at a Prometric testing center. The test consists of 7 sections with 48 questions per section. You get 60 minutes for each section and then 60 minutes of break time during the day. You have to manage your break time and if you go over, the time will be deducted away from your last section. A lot of the test is about endurance and not losing your mind! It felt longer than the MCAT (the OLD one on paper) because the MCAT only has 4 sections and you get more break time. However, the best is yet to come because Step 2 (I take this during 4th year) has 8 sections of questions so you are at the testing center for 9 hours!

I am so lucky. I have the best husband ever. He was so amazing and supportive during my long hours of studying. He did more than his fair share of cleaning and cooking. Thanks Hubs! I couldn't do any of this without. Plus I'd be really bored without you! I love you! Actually, I love you MORE!!

My amazing hubs!

Thursday evening after my test John and I went and ate at our favorite Indian restaurant in Roseville, India Palace. It is easily one of my favorite restaurants in Minnesota. I was tired and not in the mood to do anything exciting or fancy so after dinner we just went shopping and hung out at Barnes & Noble, Homegoods, etc. It was nice not to do anything and be out of the house! John wasn't joking when he said I wouldn't leave the house for days at a time, except to take Zoe out for a walk. I slept in on Friday morning until 9am. It felt so nice to sleep in and not start studying right away. I spent the whole day Friday cleaning and it felt great! I even cleaned the baseboards.

Saturday night we went to dinner with our friends Thomas and Kristin Rose and their friends Jeremy and Tina. We were celebrating my completion of boards and Thomas having just finished his super long paper for the Hamline Law Review (He's in law school) about the constitutionality of lethal injection. If you want a copy of his paper, I've got connections so just let me know.

We went to a restaurant called Redstone in Minnetonka (which is on the other side of the metro from where we live). The food was amazing and our server was awesome. It was apparent that my brain hadn't fully recovered from my exam. After Kristin had told me the name of the restaurant, I couldn't remember so I told John it was called Red Rock or Red Slate. Simple mistake right? Well I haven't heard the end of that one yet. Then when we were trying to figure out what we wanted for dessert, our server described their banana cream pie. She told us they grew the bananas on a tree in the back and I actually believed her. I finally figured out she was joking when she talked about the monkey that liked the bananas as well. Another simple mistake right? Well we were all laughing and had a great time.

From left to right: Jeremy, Tina, Kristin, Thomas, John, & Emily (And I have no clue why I have such a cheesy smile...)

Us

Thomas & Kristin Rose! Thanks for the yummy dinner guys!

The chocolate cake. It was one of the three desserts we ordered. I just thought it was cool the chocolate actually said "Redstone."

Monday I started my first rotation of my third year! I have a short two week orthopedic surgery rotation at Tria Orthopedic Center. This rotation is only pass/fail and will be a nice transition into clinical rotations. I do wish I had more responsibility for patients right now (I only shadowed today) but I know I will encounter more than I could ever want later on. My goals for this rotation are: 1. To learn how to scrub into surgery and not screw up the sterile field and 2. Be comfortable with diagnosing and treating common musculoskeletal complaints.

John takes his CISA certification exam on Saturday. He's nervous about that but I think he will do great. He has been trying to study the past few weeks but has really buckled down this week. He was very frustrated in the beginning since he wasn't scoring very well on the practice tests. Naturally his tests have improved and I have no doubt he will pass. It's also nice that he will get a bonus when he passes!

The front of our townhouse. My mom brought up the two beautiful pots for us. Let's see if I can actually keep them alive. . .

Here's a cool shot John took of Zoe with his new 50mm lens he bought last week. But I'll let him talk about that! (He wanted his feet in the picture I guess).