Hey friends,

I started this blog as a place for me to be creative, to connect with people and challenge myself to try new things. I love being creative and setting goals for myself, but I also love encouraging others, which is why I am going to start writing about my experiences being the wife of a student doctor! This is pretty different from what I’ve blogged about before, so I would love to share with you why I will be writing about it!

1. There aren’t a lot of blogs about being married while in medical school. As we  prepared and applied for med school in the last year or so, I was so hungry for resources and other blogs to read about those who have gone through this before me and hopefully survived the craziness that is med school. While I found a few good resources, I was discouraged by the lack of current blogs that gave a glimpse into what the life of a student doctor’s spouse is like. So, I decided to be that person for someone else who wants to know that there are others out there who understand the journey!
2. It’s a great way for me to process and remember things. I have really enjoyed having this blog not only as a creative outlet, but also a way to remember what was going on in different stages of my life. My blog is less than three years old, but I already feel like I’ve lived and done a lot since it’s started. Writing about the med school journey will be a great way to not only process, but also remember all the ups and downs of med school.
3. I want to give some insight into what it takes to be a doctor. Many people hear that my husband is going to be a doctor and have a picture in their head of what our lives are/will be like. There are a lot of assumptions that can be true or totally glamorized (I’m looking at you, Grey’s Anatomy). While there are certainly perks about becoming a doctor (not to mention that it is the calling God has placed on my husband), it is HARD WORK getting there and it’s a long road. So I hope my stories and reflections will also be somewhat educational of what becoming a doctor truly looks like!

For my first “diary”, I thought I would give y’all a glimpse of…

The first week of medical school

Let me start by saying that my husband and I have been extremely blessed to already be living where his school is. We did move across the country last year for his master’s program, but I am SO grateful that we did it then rather than at the start of medical school. There are already so many adjustments and it was nice to already feel established in the area! The last few weeks were not nearly as crazy as the ones some of his classmates have experienced, and I’m grateful for that.

The week before last was orientation, where students meet their classmates and faculty and staff, get a tour of the school, and sit in seminars about HIPAA privacy laws (aka how not to get sued) and other such fun topics. At the end of that week, students participate in a White Coat ceremony, where the faculty induct each student doctor by giving them their first white coat. It’s a pretty big deal as it signifies that they are now officially part of the medical community and they recite the Osteopathic Oath. I attended my husband’s ceremony with my mother-in-law, which was so special as she has been supporting his dream much longer than I have! It was very surreal to see him finally get a white coat after years of hard work, and also crazy realizing that this is really just the beginning of becoming a doctor.

One of my not-so-favorite parts of orientation was touring the school. While I was really impressed with the facilities and technology available to the students, I’m not a fan of the smell of the anatomy lab, anatomical models (fake or real), or simulation labs in which students can insert an IV to the patient dummies (insert barf emoji). But, taking the tour is a small sacrifice compared to the gratitude I have that he got accepted to med school on his first try.

This last week was the first week of classes: 27 total, which to me is an insane number, but I guess is pretty average for the first year of med school. One key thing I learned from going through the grad school program is that communication is essential. It’s not only important to learn about when he will be in classes, but also how I can help him as he adjusts to the work load. It’s also crucial to help manage my expectations for when he will have free time and what that will look like. Catching up over dinner was a great way to connect and hear about his classes, classmates, professors, and what he is studying. Overall it was a pretty good first week, although he is already studying like crazy for his first test on Monday! Hence I decided to get out of the house and blog in a newly discovered coffee shop 🙂

I am excited to share more about our journey into, through (and hopefully beyond) medical school, and I would love to know if you have any questions about it!