Helicopter

The MedStar Helicopter stopped by Jake's school the other day.  We weren't there early enough to get to take a look inside, but we did get to take a peek through the windows and Jake and Josh watched it take off.  Pretty neat!  Josh absolutely loved watching it fly.

what jake has been up to

So this is our family blog and because most posts are about me or Josh, sometimes you may be wondering what Jake has been up to lately. Since being out of Med School this is what he's been up to...

He has climbed Mt. Hood twice, also attempted it once but due to weather had to turn back and he also attempted Mt. St. Helens but because of weather again had to turn back. He's been fairly busy getting outdoors, but I know he wishes he could do more.

We also got Jake's grades back from this last semester at school and turns out he honored 5 classes! That's pretty awesome considering honoring means in the top 10-11 people in the class. Congratulations Jake! That is a great accomplishment!

one year down

I can't even begin to express how proud I am of Jake.  He finished his first year of medical school today and he did really well.  He honored a few classes and passed everything else which I think in and of itself is a huge accomplishment.  He has been a great student who, I think, has managed his time very well. 

He spends a good amount of time focusing on school, but he also is an excellent father and husband who is very supportive of me.  He was even gracious enough to help watch Joshua while I worked this past year.  He truly is an amazing person and I look forward to seeing him grow through this career development process.  It will be a long one, but I definitely feel like it is going to be worth it.  Of course you know that if he could make a living to support his family off of climbing mountains and mountain biking he would totally do it, but this is the next best thing.

It seems like yesterday we had just made the decision that we were going to come here, that we just went through the application process and were talking to students and their spouses here getting ready to move up.  It has been incredible to see the relationships that we have developed here.  We have a great group of friends, an awesome ward and a wonderful support group.  I look forward to strengthening those relationships with our friends here and I look forward to meeting the incoming class of 2015 and making more friends.

Overall, this has been a big change for all of us.  Looking back, it didn't seem that bad.  Yes, there were hard spots and sacrifices made from all, but I think we learned a lot about ourselves individually and as a family unit.  I have learned how to live more independently as well as become a house wife who is dedicated to rearing her children in a good home and serving her husband and supporting him through his life choices and challenges. 

So, you may be asking what's next?  Jake will have another year here in Yakima.  Now that he is a "second year"  he will supposedly have less class time and more independent study time.  This year his classes will be different and he will mostly be preparing for his Step 1 Board exam that is next summer.  This coming winter (February) we will be deciding on our Core Rotation spot where we spend years 3 & 4.  They have about 12 different spots ranging from Mt. Vernon/Skagit Valley, WA to Anchorage, AK to Great Falls, MT.  As of right now we are thinking that we might choose Eastern Idaho/Blackfoot for our Core Rotation spot.  That will result being closer to both families, in a familiar part of town, and it also sounds like a good rotation. 

During his rotations he will be working in clinics and hospitals in the area to get some experience in.  He will work in areas such as, Family Medicine, OB, OMM, Pediatrics, Surgery, etc. During year 3, Jake will have another Board Exam (Step 2, Physical Exam in Philadelphia, PA).  During year 4, Jake will undergo "audition" rotations and interviewing for Residency Programs as well as another Board Exam (Step 2, written).  He still isn't sure what he would like to do, but it sounds like he is leaning towards Emergency Medicine / Wilderness Medicine.  He would be great at anything and I support him in whatever decision he does make.

After years 3 & 4, Jake will graduate from PNWU.  But he's not done yet.  After the residency match we will find out which residency program he got into and will move and be in that residency program anywhere from 3-6 years, depending on what specialty he chooses.

 Sounds like a huge mouthful right and a lot of work (which it is), and you may be wondering why I'm making such a big deal about having just 1 year out of all that done, but I feel like it's a great accomplishment.  He passed his first year and we are one step closer to getting done. 

Congratulations Jake!  You amaze me!