Wow, this semester is flying by!  Midterms are done, and our placement notices came into our emails very shortly after we finished the last midterm (I have a feeling it was planned that way).  I'm happy to report that I got my first choice!  I'm excited to have the opportunity to work with the midwife group that took care of my own most recent pregnancy and birth.  But, my head is swimming with the details.  Placement feels very real now.  The grand "you get four days a month off call" is hanging over my head and childcare details are far from being finalized.  There are definitely drawbacks to following your dreams, when you have a partner whose schedule is almost as wacky and unpredictable as a midwife's *and* two children  (he is a musician).  The practice that I'll be going to is also quite a distance from my home - more than what is typically allowable by the school (50 minutes away) - and the catchment area is even larger. I am far from most midwifery practices, though, because I live rurally, and I don't intend to relocate for this placement.  My mom lives well within their catchment area and I know I can fall back on being there if I know I need to be available on short notice sometimes (or know I can't drive home *afterwards!*) 

But those are details that only my head should swim with!  I really am SO excited to embark on the next stage of the journey, and can't wait for the "real" experiences.  In the meantime, we're being prepped by our clinical skills classes in all sorts of skills that we'll be learning more about in placement - some of those experiences have been INCREDIBLE. 

More to come when I have time to breathe!  (So, maybe Christmas at this rate!?)

The placement lottery decisions begin

Wow, this last month has been so busy! Although I'm only working on three courses right now (repro, pharm, and clinical skills) the latter is worth three credits and is very heavy. I haven't been able to keep up with my readings let along updating blog posts.

Yesterday, though, we finally received "the list" - that list we've been waiting to see, that tells us which regions have placements available for this first clinical placement we are preparing to go into. We've got a little over a week to decide what our top 4 choices are, and then a maximum of a month to hear what the verdict is. Wow, what a feeling of foreboding! The options available are about what I expected..but it's definitely complicated by my intentions for summertime (and the possibility of having to take a placement in summer vs winter) and my distance from, well, anything substantial aside from one practice. Here is hopIng that it will all work out for the better!!!!