(This was originally a post I made on Facebook on November 30th, 2015. I’m adding it to the blog to help preserve it, and to make it more available for those who are not FB friends…)
Carina all dressed up for her first residency interview
Every now and then, life (or God, or Fate, which ever you chose to believe) has a way of throwing you a curve ball. Recently, in our family’s journey of Carina becoming an M.D., we had one of these curve balls thrown our way, and it has significantly altered our future path.
Those of you who know Carina personally may recall that it has always been her goal to help people who are fighting cancer. In fact, this desire has been the most singular driving force behind her decision to go into medicine and become a physician, and is rooted in the experiences of her younger sister Amy, who died of cancer when they were both children.
At the end of November, 2015, Carina finished medical school. Phew! What an accomplishment! It’s been a long, adventurous, challenging four years! Andi, Tanner, Piper and I are all proud of her! After medical school comes residency, a three to four year training program that all physicians must complete in their chosen area of expertise.
Finding a residency, however, is not an easy process. It used to be that there were more residency spots than med school graduates who wanted them. But that isn’t the case anymore. There are now more young, budding M.D.’s who are looking for a residency then there are positions to accept them all. As a result, it’s not uncommon for graduates to apply to a LOT of residency programs all over the country in multiple areas of expertise. Some of Carina’s preceding class mates applied to more than 100 residency positions. Read the rest of this entry »