Today my husband kissed me goodbye like any other day.
But it’s not just any other day…
You see, today he began the next step in his training.
He headed off to the hospital to begin his fellowship!
You know what that means, right?
My husband is DONE with residency!
I feel like this development should be accompanied by balloons and confetti and maybe a parade with some acrobats and a float with a beauty queen on it, and, of course, a marching band. I mean, it’s the end of a three-year stretch that has been a huge learning experience – not just for him at work, but for our marriage, and for me, personally.
Plus, it’s the beginning of this entirely new stage in my husband’s career and our lives. We’re another step closer to Real Life, after all! (Strange to think that the nine years since college have been just LEADING UP TO Real Life…)
But, instead, it doesn’t really FEEL like a big deal.
I think that’s because we’re not going anywhere. You know, physically.
So far in our lives, all big milestones like this have spurred a Big Move. There’s nothing like stowing all your belongings away in Home Depot boxes to make you feel like change is happening.
This time, however, we’re staying put. We’ve got this house. We’ve got at least three more years here. My husband isn’t even changing hospitals for fellowship.
That’s the other reason it doesn’t feel like a big deal, I think. In the past, the milestone and the Big Move resulted in a big change in his routine. From a retail job and a few classes while I was in grad school… to classes and short, simple hospital rotations during medical school… to 80 hours a week in the hospital during residency.
Until now, I always had to adjust to seeing my husband more or less. To taking my work to the library to study with him… Or to steeling myself for not seeing him for 30 hours at a time.
Fellowship, as I understand it, won’t be all that different from residency. My husband will still work a lot. He’ll still have rotations that will vary his routine every few weeks. He’ll still be on call (although he’ll have HOME call instead of HOSPITAL call, meaning that he’ll be home to answer issues over the phone and will only have to go to the hospital in an emergency). But even then, call won’t be as frequent as it has been these past three years.
Of course, he will go back to being the low man on the totem pole for at least a year. That’s tough, I think, after finally getting to the point in residency where you know the ropes and feel comfortable and knowledgeable. To get dumped back into the dark panic of not really knowing what to do, learning new equipment, working with a whole new team… that’s not fun or easy.
But I think he’s excited. Looking forward to specializing in a field that interests him so much. Looking forward to mastering the procedures that will be such a big part of his career. Looking forward to this last (hopefully) step on the path to Being Done.
Oh Internet, I am so proud of my husband. He’s worked so hard.
I am so happy that he’s about to begin this new step in his training. I hope fellowship gives him a chance to fall in love his with field, to truly feel like he’s building up an expertise in an area that interests him.
And I’m looking forward to watching him grow more knowledgeable and more confident as he settles into this new role.
As far as how this new stage will affect me (which is, of course, the subject of this blog: me me me), I’m withholding judgment.
My husband, of course, swears that fellowship is going to be much better than residency was.
I am not holding my breath.
That’s so exciting! Congrats to hubby!
Congrats! Good news…. My boyfriend began his fellowship today too! also, same hospital…I’m happy for him,for us…..also looking fwd to seeing him more!
Oh, so nice to be done with residency! Congrats!!!
Hooray for another step forward.
Congratulations! And also, good luck! A new job, even if he isn’t changing hospitals, is always at least a little difficult to adjust to.
Woohoo!!! Huge best wishes for your husband! And yay for good change 🙂
Congrats to hubby AND to you! Residency is a tough time for both. And Real Life as you call it is most definitely worth the wait AND the opportunity cost. Onward and upward!
Congratulations! Hopefully the fellowship flys by:)
CONGRATS! What a great accomplishment! I think this means you’ve inched closer to the baby date, RIGHT? BABIES!
the end
Hahhah, Ashley. This made me laugh.
Congrats to both of you! 🙂 Looking forward to hearing how it all goes!
Congratulations, that’s awesome!
Congratulations! It is still a big deal, and just means your are that much closer to being done.
Congratulations! How exciting. I wish (sometimes) that our fellowship was offered where we are for residency, but it isn’t. But ours is only a year and it’s still three years away. Isn’t it interesting how in the medical community looking ahead a few years at a time is no big deal?
This is so exciting and I know you are so proud indeed! Yay for moving forward!!
Congratulations! We still have residency ahead of us (ugh) so I’m always happy to read stories of those that have survived. 🙂
Fellowship is so much better than residency! At least it was for us. And so far, real job is even better.
Congrats to your husband!
Congratulations on making progress towards Real Life =)!
Hope that home call offers plenty of quiet nights without a beep from the pager. Congratulations to both of you.
I will go the entire week without my husband while he’s on night float. I get to spend July and December alone when I get done with work. It’s tough on both of us. Its going to be an adjustment but I guess that’s how surgery residency goes. Five years and hopefully we will be at fellowship too.
Congratulations to you both on this next step! That’s so great that he can further explore what interests him – all this training is a long process, but worth it in the long run when he gets to do what he loves (is what I keep telling myself too…).
Yay for fellowship!!
Aw congratulations! WOW that is so huge….but you’re right, without a physical change it’s weird to think that this is a big change. ps- it’s never really REAL life right? Just practice 😉