I am writing this blog late at night because I can’t sleep.  A few hours ago I learned that I have been accepted to medical school after a long six year process.  Needless to say, I am very excited.  I have wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember, and earlier today I was pretty sure it was never going to happen.  In fact, for the last week I’ve been debating whether or not to even go to my last interview.  Just as I was ready to throw in the towel, I checked my email, only to find great news waiting for me.

Anyways, this blog has been sitting dormant for several months since I decided I wanted to write it.  It has just been waiting for today, when I can officially say that I am going to medical school.  The idea for this blog originated one year ago with my English professor, Dr. Julia Schleck.  Dr. Schleck was overseeing my Independent Study English course that I was doing to finish my English degree.  The course was designed to look at the differences between physician and patient writing.  During our last meeting, we discussed one of my conclusions that physicians tend to write only in very classic forms, such as in peer-reviewed journals or books, while patients were more likely to write things like blogs.  Dr. Schleck recommended to me that I write a blog if and when I became a doctor.  So, in a nutshell, I told her I would.

The name for this blog came to me after interviewing at ATSU in Kirksville (where I have been accepted).  Kirskville has a student wellness program, and one of the taglines of the pamphlet they handed us said, “I am my own first healer.”  The woman who came to speak to us about the program said that it used to read, “I am my own first patient.”  The title seemed appropriate for my blog, since “my first patient” is really “me,” and this blog is about me.

My hope is to begin writing in this blog as I make preparations to attend medical school, and then to continue it during my four years at Kirskville and beyond.  I think the journey of a doctor could be a very interesting one, and I know many people have questions about what that entails, as well as “What is Osteopathic Medicine?” (to be answered in my  next post…).  Anyone who knows me knows how much I love to talk about medicine, so this blog is just a natural extension of that.  I hope that whoever reads it will learn a little something about what doctors go through to get to the point where they can charge lots of money for a few minutes with you in the exam room (a topic that will also be discussed later!).

Finally, I just want to say thank you to all of the people who helped me get to where I am today.  I would be nothing if it weren’t for the support my wonderful family and friends.  I don’t know how many times I posed the question to my husband, “What happens if I don’t get in?”  Yet each time he confidently told me, “You will.”  But I really wouldn’t have made it here if it wasn’t for God.  I have been berating him with prayers for the past six years, and I wouldn’t be surprised if He let me in just so I would shut up (I’m telling you, keep reading because this will definitely come up again!).  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.