Our Fates have Been Determined

I looked at my calendar today and almost couldn't believe that I only have a little over a month before our White Coat Ceremony on December 4.  It is the end of October and my first year of grad school is coming to an end.  It's bittersweet, but I've learned so much this year in regards to the human body, disease pathology, and how we handle the specimens in the gross room and autopsy suite.  There is so much more learning to come in the next year.  We had the pleasure of getting our schedules this week for our clinical year and I'm excited and nervous all at the time same time.  My schedule is looking a little like this:

   

Rotation Date	Hospital Site	Location
January 4-February 12	LA Path MD Labs	Los Angeles, CA
February 15-March 25	Presbyterian Autopsy	Pittsburgh, PA
March 28-May 6	Shadyside	Pittsburgh, PA
May 9-May 27	Ruby Autopsy	Morgantown, WV
May 30-June 17	UPMC Childrens	Pittsburgh, PA
June 20-July 29	Ruby Surgical	Morgantown, WV
August 1-September 9	Butler	Butler, PA
September 12- October 21	Thomas Memorial	Charleston, WV
October 24-December 16	Conemaugh	Johnstown, PA

I'm beyond excited to begin my year in California just because I get to avoid some of the cold and dreary winter weather that West Virginia has in store.  It will also give me a chance to live in a part of the country I've never been to before while developing and improving my skills in the gross room.  Plus, I may just end up loving it out there and decide that is where I'd like to live once I graduate. Overall, I was pleased with the sites that had been chosen for clinical year and although I'm nervous about diving into the gross room everyday with a variety of specimens, I'm also excited about all the new experiences and places I get to go to.  The only part that isn't as appealing is having to move around so much, but it's only for a year.

Since you may or may not know how the clinical year works, I'll cover some of the high points.  Some of the rotation sites, such as LA Path MD Labs, Conemaugh, and Thomas Memorial provide housing on site so all you have to worry about is food, gas, and any other personal living expenses you may have.  The LA rotation will also pay for your roundtrip plane ticket.  As for the rotations in Pittsburgh and Morgantown, you'll have to pay for your housing expenses.  This is where your classmates will come in handy.  We have been working together to find an apartment in Pittsburgh and Morgantown that we can share and pay rent while we are in the area at that time.  All in all, about half the year is paid for when it comes living expenses, but you are still paying regular tuition through WVU.  With the clinical rotations, it's just like you are going to be working a full time job and the only days you get off is any holiday that is recognized by the lab.  In addition to rotations, we will take a test at the end of every month based on what we have learned all this year plus newer information from books that are recommended by ASCP for the board exam.  You won't only be working, but studying and keeping on top of everything we've learned so we can pass the board exam when we graduate. 

As for school, it has been busy as usual with tests here and there in all of our classes.  We had a test in Advanced Surgical and Autopsy Techniques that covered male and female reproductive tracts and the genitourinary system as well as a test in Med Lab Management.  The format of the tests were the same as they had been previously, so there haven't been any changes there.  We will continue with a test tomorrow in Physiology that covers the endocrine system and then a test on Monday in Microbiology that covers a variety of bacteria/viruses and the diseases they cause throughout the body.  As always, I have plenty of studying to do and I just can't control my excitement! 

Oh and since one of my favorite holidays is this weekend...Happy Halloween!