Excitement and Dread

[Phoebe]

This time of the year is exciting because it brings an end to another year of training. People are getting ready to move and start new phases of their lives. We have one more year left! I have started day dreaming about where we will end up a year from now and searching the web for job opportunities (My husband isn't a computer person).



I am also dreading the next three months because Ron is on-service and will rarely show his exhausted face at home. Normally it is one month or possibly two months in a row, but this time he is working the NICU for three months. One month alone is draining on him and our family, three will be difficult. I am trying to go into it armed with good coping skills and a positive attitude to avoid the typical once a month meltdown. We've already had a couple discussions about what we want to do. So I hope it will be better this time, like I do everytime. I can't help but think 2/3 of our summer is down the tubes.



Any suggestions from those vetrans of crappy rotations?



Jennifer

[DCJenn]

Wow-



3 months of NICU? Rick would cut his legs off with a rusty butter knife rather than do that!



He's getting ready for a month in the PICU and dreading that! and how do you end up doing three months of the same thing?



You guys have my sympathies.



Jenn

[Phoebe]

Ron's fellowship is in neonatology. He splits his time between the NICU and research. NICU months are grueling and long so three in a row isn't anything I am looking forward to. They changed the schedule last year and somehow Ron ended up with this shift. He is actually looking forward to getting out of the lab and back into the unit. Not me!



To make it worse, he has to attend two conferences in May so he will be away from home about two weeks including call nights. I will definitely be spending time with my family to get some help with Avery.



I remember in residency that the ICU months were especially hard so I understand about dreading the PICU!



I am going to definitely plan some fun things for Avery and I to do this summer. I think Ron is planning something for our anniversary in June which I am excited about.



Jennifer

Three months of NICU? Wow, that does sound like a lot to pull off during the summer. I guess the advantage of summer is that you will beable to get outside more...Something that Thomas and I did during those months was set milestones....We made plans to do a certain thing each week/or every other week...in our case, we would plan to use his day off to drive to the beach (in Fl), etc. We even planned a weekend drive to Orlando and went to Disneyland for a day....It made the bad time fly by faster because we were always looking forward to the next fun thing.



See if you can look at his schedule in advance and budget for some fun things to do that are closeby.....you might even plan a weekend getaway on your own if your/his parents can come up and stay with Avery.....



My vote is to be creative about planning some fun things and use those to focus on in getting through the summer......



Kris
"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be."
Douglas Adams

[Meenah]

Three months of NICU means three months closer to the END!!!

Luanne

[DCJenn]

Jennifer-



We have some very good friends here- the female of the couple works with Rick. She wants to go in to neonatology and Rick wants to do adolescent medicine. They have agreed that it is a VERY good thing that there are options- as neither one can stand what the other wants to do! She dreads the adolescent rotations and he, as I have said- hates the NICU. They have some very interesting 'discussions' at times!



Jenn

Awww Jennifer!!! I hate when Bob has back-to-back hard rotations... I just try to focus on our boys... The best thing I can think of to say is that at least the weather will be nice and you can escape outside!!! I know what you mean about the summer days together as family being limited. We are running into a similar situation ourselves. I'll be thinking about you!! Just one more year... woohoo!!! Where do you all want to go???



Christy

[Phoebe]

You definitely have to love what you do if want a subspecialty like neonatology. It must be a love/hate thing because it seems like most residents either can't stand NICU or they want to enter into it. Three people from his residency program ended up in neonatology. Ron loves the challenge of the whole thing whereas, he wouldn't be happy doing primary care. His second choice would have been Peds ER.



Christy- I don't know where we want to go. We would like to stay in the midwest. We know better where we don't want to go at this point. So we have to work from there. Ron would be happiest working in a Level III NICU so that means we will probably end up in a bigger hospital and a bigger city.



Jennifer

Jennifer, would you like to live in a big city? I just was wondering. I've never lived in or near a big city before. I still am in shock that we'll be moving next year! Bob's 2nd year has flown by!!!



Christy

Forever Friends

[Phoebe]

Christy- Living in a big city? I don't know. It would depend on the place I guess. Cleveland is the biggest place I have lived (approx 3 million) after growing up in a suburb bordering on a town of 100, 000. Right now we live in a middle suburban area so it doesn't feel like we live in a big place. I would say we have the best of both worlds living in a suburb but have the advantage of a city near by. If we did move to a big place like Indianapolis we would probably live outside of the city limits like we do now. Ron comes from a town of 1500 so it is a big step for him!



Where do you think you will move?



Jennifer



By the way, cute picture of the boys!

[Phoebe]

Christy- Speaking of where we will live, Ron just called me from a peds conference he is attending in Baltimore, talking about all the recruiters who are there etc. It sure sounds like fun. He is going to a baseball game tomorrow night. Now I am wishing I was there!



Jennifer

Jennifer, I would just die if you moved to Baltimore because we are going back to WV, but if we get a job in the area that we are seeking, we'll be like 1 1/2 hours from Baltimore!!! I think you would love that area!!!! We love it around there!!! There is a lot you can do!!! Are they taking him to the Inner Harbor??? I love it there!



Oooo... I'll be so excited if we move closer to oner another!!! I have always looked forward to meeting you!!! I just need the right circumstances... like you living a little closer to me!!! haha!!



Christy

Forever Friends

[Phoebe]

That would be fun Christy! At this point anything is possible. Ron has already changed his mind about the kind of unit he wants to work in so until he signs a contract, I don't know and neither does he, exactly where we will end up.



Jennifer