Today marks the first day of my LAST year of school.  EVER.  It seems like that little light at the end of the tunnel is getting just a tiny bit brighter.  And it feels really, really great.  Plus, as far as medical training goes, I’ve heard that fourth year is one of the easiest years, if there is such a thing.==

So I’m really looking forward to this year.  The best part about fourth year is that we basically get to set up our entire schedule and pack it full of lots of electives.  My plan for this year includes core rotations of Emergency Medicine, Critical Care, and Family Medicine plus electives in Neurology, Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, Allergy/Asthma/Immunology, Pediatrics, Hematology/Oncology, and Pulmonology/Lung Transplants!  Don’t those all sound like a blast?

I’m not being sarcastic, either.  I really am excited.  At least for most of those rotations.  I can’t say I’m thrilled for another Family Medicine or Pediatrics rotation, but I’m pretty psyched for the rest.  It’s just so much more fun to rotate in things that interest me.

Fourth year won’t be a total breeze, though.  At some point in the near future I will have to take Step Two of the boards which includes another 9-hour computer exam plus a clinical skills exam that includes standardized patients and is only proctored in Philadelphia, so I’ll be heading there in a few weeks.  And then, it’s time to apply for residencies.  I’m still a little unsure what that entails, but it seems stressful.  Future Emily’s Problem.

I’m basically interested in staying in Phoenix, and there are four Internal Medicine residencies that I’m looking at here.  I’ve set up three rotations with my top three programs, so at least I’ve got those lined up.  That’s basically all I’ve gotten done as far as residency goes.  I just hope somebody, somewhere will take me.

So that’s fourth year in a nutshell.  It should be fun, and I’m looking forward to it.  I just can’t believe a whole year has gone by since we drove across country with all of our belongings, 8 months pregnant, to start my clinical rotations.  My tiny baby is not so tiny anymore, and I’m getting things ready for her FIRST birthday.  She’s learning new tricks and getting into everything.  She’s finally cutting teeth, plus she has Roseola, so she’s been a real peach lately.  But time is flying by.  And before you know it, you’ll all have to call me DR.