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My Perfect Match (by Angie)

March 19th, 2009

Just wanted to document this wonderful day! I got my first choice for Ob/Gyn residency which was St. Vincent hospital in Indianapolis. Jon and I were anxious for this day since oh, last summer, when I started seriously thinking about residency and where the best place would be. I happened to look at Ob/Gyn programs in Indiana and liked what I saw from St. Vincent’s website, but also noticed they only took 4 students (now 5) per year. So I decided I would probably have to do a rotation there to a) figure out if it was a good place to train and b) help them know me from Eve so I would have at least SOME chance at one of their spots. The only open time in my schedule was August and, of course, they told me they didn’t have any openings for an away student in August. I could have given up at that point, and part of me wanted to because I couldn’t IMAGINE leaving Jon and Will for a whole month to live in Indy and I didn’t know where the heck I would live there anyway. But I sent one last pleading email to the residency coordinator stating my case and to my surprise, she created an opening for me. I was shocked and realized it would be very impolite to now say “I don’t have the kahunas to come!”

Then, fate paved the way again. My sister-in-law Laura is a nurse and decided to do a little away rotation herself in Colorado and her apartment in Indy would be sitting empty in August. That was definitely a big sign that this was meant to be. Anyway, I got it all arranged and the day finally came for me to head to Indy. To think back to that day STILL makes my stomach churn. I literally vomited on the side of the interstate somewhere in Wisconsin because I was SO sad to leave my little Will who was 2 years 3 months at the time (plus I was 3 months pregnant and still a little nauseated). I cried and cried so much that I was a hazard on the road, and I had to call Jon at least 5 times to have him convince me not to do a U-turn. But eventually I arrived in Indy, eyes nearly swollen shut from crying, and I at least found a little piece of comfort in Laura’s apartment – pictures of Jon as a baby:)

The next day I headed to St. Vincent’s main hospital and the minute I walked through the doors I felt better. It felt like home. Statues of cute little nuns made me smile and feel at peace with my decision. The day kept getting better, too, as I met more of the residents who all seemed very much, well, like me. It was still an incredibly difficult month (Jon and Will came down for about 10 of the 30 days), but even though I felt so lost without my boys, I was excited to be “at work” everyday, learning from the residents, delivering babies, doing surgeries with the high-risk team, rounding, and seeing my Indiana friends in the evenings. I had a good feeling St. Vincent would take the cake in the end…

But for some reason, I still felt compelled to apply to lotsa programs and interview at 8. That’s not a ton – I think the average medical student interviews at around 5-12 places depending on how competitive their chosen specialty is – but it was again very difficult to travel all over pregnant and alone. A few places seemed promising but I always felt like I was cheating on St. V’s to even think about ranking them first.

Then came my St. Vincent interview. The night-before dinner was at one of the resident’s homes and as I headed there I said a little prayer that God would give me a sign if this was the place for me. I parked in front of his home and sat for a second in the dark and glanced up to see a bright shooting star. So God is cheesy, but I was thankful for what I considered glorious confirmation!! The next day I headed to the hospital for the interviews thinking it would be low-key considering everyone knew me….think again Ang! I was asked the TOUGHEST questions I’d been asked anywhere. Lots of ethical questions that I really wasn’t prepared for. Everyone was nice as could be, but they meant business. And you know what? That made me want to go there more. They challenged me when I thought I could be lazy, and if they do that for the next 4 years, I know I will be as well trained as I can be. I left there wondering if I had any shot after my bumbling replies to questions like “do you think children should be allowed in the room during childbirth?” and “how do you feel about prescribing contraceptives….what about abortion?” But I had faith that all the hard work and signs from above meant something. And today, I got my reward. Funny – my reward is going to suck around 80 hours out of me per week, but I strongly believe that I couldn’t be happy doing anything else. Hopefully my boys will realize that I’m not putting them second by accepting such an all-consuming career, I’m simply leading them by example. Go for what you want, pray and listen when God sends you signs, and challenge yourself to see how far you can go….but don’t worry, I’m looking for a home within 10 minutes of the hospital so Jon and the boys have NO excuse for not coming to see me on those long days and overnight stays!!

I also can’t end this without saying thanks to everyone who has helped me along the way, especially Jon. I don’t know how many times throughout the last 4 years I’ve said, “I just don’t know if I can DO this” and he always reassured me that I could. And that we, as a family, would make it through just fine. I can’t say that he is a patient person, but somehow he mustered the strength to be patient enough over the past 4 years as I did rotations with call every 4th night and spent most weekends studying only to fret for 2 days after the test and then repeat the whole process again…I’m so grateful, and I hope the support we receive from family and friends in Indiana will help him remain patient through the next 4 years as well!!

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