My last interview of the season, when I thought I had my mind made up and knew where I wanted to go, I walked into Albert Einstein Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with no expectations. I felt like I was going through the motions but I still tried to give it my best and impress everyone, because after all, you never know. I listened to the orientation about the program, etc and tried to stay positive because to be honest, while I saw that the program was really good, It just wasn't love at first sight.
When I walked into the office of Dr. Charles Beckmann, the author of the book that all medical students swear by for their Ob/Gyn rotation and shelf exams called Obstetrics and Gynecology, he shook my hand vigorously and excitedly proclaimed "I've been looking forward to meeting with you!!!" I was taken aback but I smiled and sat down. He went on to exclaim that he had told his wife that he had dubbed me "Smiling Earrings" since my picture that I had submitted was cropped from my wedding and I was wearing long dangly earrings and a big smile. He said that unlike a lot of the applicants' pictures, I looked truly happy. When I told him where the picture was from, he smiled and jotted more notes down on my sheet which already had lots of stars and circles.
During this interview, my medical missions to Mexico and Honduras came up and he got excited again, giving me the website for the hospital that he and his colleagues founded in Honduras, not too far away from where I'd been. Once again, he jotted on his notes, writing "MISSIONS" in big letters, and circled it. By this point I started feeling a bit befuddled. Here was this doctor whose book was in my office at home, excited about me. Crazy.
Well, by the end of the interview he had told me some things that ur not really supposed to say to the candidates- he asked me if I was planning on getting pregnant during residency. I tried to say maybe even though I knew that Randy and I were planning to start a family this year and he said to me that any program that is not supportive of that is not somewhere that I should be. He said that he would be happy for me if I were to start a family during residency.
He told me things that he saw in me that I did not think anyone could figure out in such a short time and frankly, he did most of the talking. What struck me was that he looked into my eyes and said that He will be ranking me highly and that he wants me to be there not only because he knew that I would be a blessing to the program, but because I would be a pleasure to teach. He said that he sensed that I am here because of a true love for medicine and touching the lives of people, and that is who he wants in his program. I seriously thought that he was going to make me cry.
Both Dr. Beckmann and the program director Dr. Arnold Cohen, stressed their desire to have me and for me to come back and visit again, which I did. I left Philadelphia feeling very conflicted, flattered but conflicted.
Soon after my interview a received a long letter from the Program Director again stating all of the things about me that he thought would be an asset to their program and reiterating the strengths of the program and encouraging me once again to rank them highly, telling me that they would be ranking me highly.
I did not rank Albert Einstein as number one.
But, thank God, it was not one of my last couple choices either
Today, my heart was pounding, I was feeling nauseous, and when I opened the email on my phone, to be completely honest, I cried. I thought that I had a different plan and I felt like this program snatched me up and away from that. The program wanted me and ranked me very highly, if not number one, and for that I should be grateful. Randy has been sooooooo positive and supportive and has helped me to put things in perspective.
just under 700 applied, 70 got interviews, and I got one of the 4 spots!
When I walked into the office of Dr. Charles Beckmann, the author of the book that all medical students swear by for their Ob/Gyn rotation and shelf exams called Obstetrics and Gynecology, he shook my hand vigorously and excitedly proclaimed "I've been looking forward to meeting with you!!!" I was taken aback but I smiled and sat down. He went on to exclaim that he had told his wife that he had dubbed me "Smiling Earrings" since my picture that I had submitted was cropped from my wedding and I was wearing long dangly earrings and a big smile. He said that unlike a lot of the applicants' pictures, I looked truly happy. When I told him where the picture was from, he smiled and jotted more notes down on my sheet which already had lots of stars and circles.
During this interview, my medical missions to Mexico and Honduras came up and he got excited again, giving me the website for the hospital that he and his colleagues founded in Honduras, not too far away from where I'd been. Once again, he jotted on his notes, writing "MISSIONS" in big letters, and circled it. By this point I started feeling a bit befuddled. Here was this doctor whose book was in my office at home, excited about me. Crazy.
Well, by the end of the interview he had told me some things that ur not really supposed to say to the candidates- he asked me if I was planning on getting pregnant during residency. I tried to say maybe even though I knew that Randy and I were planning to start a family this year and he said to me that any program that is not supportive of that is not somewhere that I should be. He said that he would be happy for me if I were to start a family during residency.
He told me things that he saw in me that I did not think anyone could figure out in such a short time and frankly, he did most of the talking. What struck me was that he looked into my eyes and said that He will be ranking me highly and that he wants me to be there not only because he knew that I would be a blessing to the program, but because I would be a pleasure to teach. He said that he sensed that I am here because of a true love for medicine and touching the lives of people, and that is who he wants in his program. I seriously thought that he was going to make me cry.
Both Dr. Beckmann and the program director Dr. Arnold Cohen, stressed their desire to have me and for me to come back and visit again, which I did. I left Philadelphia feeling very conflicted, flattered but conflicted.
Soon after my interview a received a long letter from the Program Director again stating all of the things about me that he thought would be an asset to their program and reiterating the strengths of the program and encouraging me once again to rank them highly, telling me that they would be ranking me highly.
I did not rank Albert Einstein as number one.
But, thank God, it was not one of my last couple choices either
Today, my heart was pounding, I was feeling nauseous, and when I opened the email on my phone, to be completely honest, I cried. I thought that I had a different plan and I felt like this program snatched me up and away from that. The program wanted me and ranked me very highly, if not number one, and for that I should be grateful. Randy has been sooooooo positive and supportive and has helped me to put things in perspective.
just under 700 applied, 70 got interviews, and I got one of the 4 spots!
So, Ladies and Gentlemen, This is the blog of an Obstetrician-Gynecologist, training at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!!!!!! :) :)
5 comments:
Congratulations Dionne!! I'm so happy for you! You're going to make a great OBGYN. :)
That is so Awesome Dionne! I am so happy for you!
Wow, congrats. Funny how the path we see ourselves on isn't always the path we end up taking, huh? I'm sure you'll love it. And wow---they even told you outright they wouldn't mind you being pregnant in the program! How neat and special is that? I can't wait to read more about your adventures (being pregnant and having my baby was one of the things that turned me onto nursing...so I'm very interested in how your program goes for you)
Oh congrats!!! My OB/GYN saved my life, literally. I'll have to tell you about it sometime. Philly is an awesome city with so much history. I'm excited for you!
Way cool!
Post a Comment