Med School

We Matched!

~ Kara Mills ~ Leave a comment

It’s a few days late but we got the email Monday at 9:58am CT that hubs matched! That means it’s either MI or MN that we will match to.

I was at work, unpacking because we were literally moving into our new HQ building that day. I called him because I am not the most patient person (shocker) and he read the email over the phone. It felt surreal. Honestly, it really didn’t even hit me until last night. And then, it was more exhausted relief than anything. No big crying and screaming fit I had always thought I would do. Perhaps that’s saved for later?

As I mentioned before, because it’s not stressful enough, they drag the waiting game out until this Friday. Ugh! So, stay tuned and I will (hopefully) be better about posting in a more timely fashion. Maybe I’ll have more to say about some kind of emotional outburst. Just hopefully nothing too embarrassing….

What’s Next – Match Week

~ Kara Mills ~ 1 Comment

After years of waiting, we’re less than a week away from one of the final milestones in medical school- Match Week! We’re often asked where we are in the process. Why not write about it? I mean what better way to deal with stress than talk about it right? Also, my full disclaimer is that I’m writing about our experience and I’m not quoting exact numbers. So when I say numbers below, it’s my general understanding and certainly not fact- it’s simply for the purpose of getting you to understand how this crazy process works. Also, I barely have time to relax much less look up sources and cite them in a blog I do for fun. Just saying….

Let’s talk Match. It’s the point in a future doctor’s career where you get “drafted” to a program to complete your residency. It’s what you’ve been working towards for the past 4+ years. It’s an annual process beginning in the fall every year. Fourth year medical students fill out the application, gather recommendation letters and complete a personal statement. Students select what programs they would like to apply to based on their desired specialty. For example, hubs is going into pediatrics so his focus is solely on locations that offer pediatric programs that meet the wants he has for his future career. The more competitive the specialty, the more programs people apply to. I know of people that applied to as little as 20 programs and some applied to over 100 programs. And yes, because everyone asks, you pay a flat fee for the initial application and then after a certain amount you pay per application. It can add up quick.

After the applications are submitted and reviewed, programs will reach out to applicants for interviews if interested. To give context, one of the programs hubs interviewed at has 20 openings but hundreds of applicants. Also, I know of people who apply to 75+ programs but have less than 20 interviews. There are varieties of reasons people do or do not get interviews. Test scores are certainly an easy, “objective” way to weed people out. Personal statements also play a role. It’s essentially your opportunity to sell yourself to the program and convince them that they should consider you. No pressure.

After all the interviews are completed- usually the end of January- students submit what they call their “rank list”. Basically, each student ranks all of the programs they interviewed at from most desired to least. The programs are also doing the same thing with their applicants. Then, in late February the entity that facilitates this process runs a super secretive algorithm to match applicants to their programs. So, some people may match their first choice and others may match their 7th choice, or some may not match at all.

Where it gets really anxiety inducing is the week called “Match Week”. This year it is the week of March 11th. On that morning, hubs will get an email telling him if he matched. If he matches one of the programs he ranked, we will find out what program that is on Friday, the 15th. If he were to not match, students then spend the week mass interviewing at programs that still have openings to find a spot for residency. They basically push out as many applications as possible and phone and web interviews are conducted until a spot is filled. On the 15th, all students who have matched somewhere- whether through the match or through the scramble, will gather and celebrate this next step. So basically, next Friday we find out if we stay here or if we will be moving in June. For a type-A personality like me, this whole “waiting to plan a major event until the last minute” is certainly not my jam.

So, for now, I’m practicing patience and, honestly, sitting in disbelief that we’re finally at this point. Some day I may write about all of the stories, but for now, I will relish the chance to celebrate and plan for the next chapter of this journey. Stay tuned for next week, I imagine we will have some updates!

In the meantime, if you want to understand more about this match process, visit the Married to Doctors blog and read the awesome write up for this topic.

Time to Be Me

~ Kara Mills ~ 4 Comments

Every year hubs med school has a live event called Hippocrates Café that focuses on allowing medical student the opportunity to express themselves artistically through story and song. Typically, a lot of people submit works and then a handful are selected to be presented. Some people perform their own works, while others are performed by professionals. This year, hubs written piece was selected and read by a professional! I am so proud of what he wrote that I felt it’s important to share. It’s a raw piece that truly expresses how these last few years have been, not only for him, but many others in med school as well.

 

Time to Be Me

By: Robert Mills

 

Confident to start, jovial to begin.

Living out my dream, I got this.

Wait. You say you went to what Ivy League school?

You too? And you…?

I’m just a kid from the hood, who’s made it out, so far, so good.

So pardon me if I don’t speak so eloquently.

I’m just tryin to do me.

I wasn’t afforded the social capital and wealth

That allowed you to achieve, seemingly carefree

Naw, that’s not me.

As I swim in this sea of unfamiliarity, I can’t help but wonder,

Why did they pick me?

And as the failures pile up, I feel I’m losing my identity.

Excuse me, is USMLE playing a cruel joke on me?

All the doctors said it was ADHD.

God please!

PLEASE take away this depression.

PLEASE take away this fear.

You’ve brought me so close to my dream, yet it’s on the verge to disappear!

This can’t be how my story ends.

I feel it deep down in my soul.

I was meant for this!

I can’t let this dream go!

Therapy has helped me to see I’m not an affirmative action case.

Despite my upbringing and lack of wealth,

I belong in this place.

What I realized is that the gunshots and the dope spots,

The broken homes, kids being left all alone,

The gang signs and the violent crimes,

Taught me some valuable lessons you can’t learn within four walls.

Like the social injustice spawning deep mistrust in a system that has historically disadvantaged us.

You see these life lessons ain’t in vain,

No matter how excruciating the pain.

And while these tools I’ve acquired don’t scream academic pedigree,

They do provide an empathetic demeanor, which has allowed patients to trust me.

So I’m done with the mask med students wear while being insecure inside,

God has brought me through too much mess to just run away and hide

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel,

And It’s not an oncoming train

It’s dreams fulfilled and destiny revealed through all of the pain.

Below is the video of the professional reading his piece. What an awesome honor to have been chosen and to be able to share such personal feelings with a group that understands so well. If med school doesn’t work out, I feel like a fine arts degree might be in his future….

Med School- Another Truth

~ Kara Mills ~ Leave a comment

With year 1 and 2 under our belt, and the third underway, I thought it was fitting to talk a little about the not so bright side of med school. This will be more of a “keepin it real” post- from my perspective as the wife. I think it’s important to share the ugly side of this process for the people that have comments or are critical about my lack of participation in activities. I want to fully explain what is going on and ask to be cut some slack for the next little while until my head can stop spinning. My feelings are not unusual. I say that from extensive discussions with spouses/partners of other med students and from a number of awesome online resources. I’m telling you, get some med school wives together and that is some for real camaraderie! The only other place I’ve experienced that was as a military wife!

I’ve been really hard on myself about how crazy our life has been. Hubs finished second year, spent a month out of state prepping for his board exam, we moved (because everyone loves moving- especially during the craziest summer ever) and he started rotations. Oh, and I am working and traveling too. It’s a lot of work. Unlike anything else I can imagine. We’ve been through a military deployment and that was not fun but also nothing like this. Not in a “med school is more difficulty kind of way”. I worried about him making it home alive from Iraq, I don’t have those fears now (thank goodness!). Now I worry about thing like hubs getting stuck with an HIV sharp while working (which is surprisingly more common than you would think).

I’ve talked in the past about the different aspects of med school- getting into med school, details of the first year, signs of living with a med student, etc. Those were fun and all, but now I want to address the stuff that doesn’t get talked about. On a good day I feel like we’re hanging on by a fraying thread. I’m about one trip out the door from forgetting my purse, or a kid for that matter. All because I’m so worried about keeping up this facade of how we’re breezing through medical school like anyone can do it. I’ve been carrying such a guilt with me because in the midst of all of this going on, I feel like I am unable to do everything or sometimes anything. The house is a mess (of course things are still in boxes so I’ll use that as my excuse for now). I’m terrible about the little things. I think of how I should send a card or make a quick call and before I know it, a week has passed and I still haven’t done it. I have great little ideas but forget to put them into action.

So, here are the cliff notes of how I felt when we were going through each year. This may help explain- or validate- what you see from other med students and families.

Year 1- A very rude awakening, an initiation if you will, to the chaos of what medical school will be. It’s where you sign your life over to the institution that is promising to make you a “world class medical professional”. It’s the place where, if you’re single, it can still be overwhelming and hard to manage. If you’re married, and with kids, forget about it! It wasn’t made for you! You have to work that much harder to not only make med school work, but your family life as well. It’s the place where you learn how strong your spouse is, you learn how strong you are, and if you make it through, you feel like you can conquer the world. It’s a challenge in not only academics, but mentally and physically too. It’s not for the faint of heart.

Year 2- You’re on a bit of a high from surviving year one. You feel like if you made it through that first year, second year should be a breeze. It went by fast, you learned more than you thought possible in that time frame, and you’re still walking and talking. You’re getting closer to the clinical part, which, let’s be real, that’s the reason most people came to medical school. To work with patients- the hands on stuff. By now your spouse is used to the crazy schedule. I said used to not liking– there’s a distinct difference. This is also the time where you begin to realize that you’re too far in to back out now (what other job will cover the amount of debt you have) and you have the first board exam around the corner. You’re cramming to get classes situated and do well, all at the same time scheduling your rotations, which is such a methodical process that I could almost physically see the request being processed by the RAM in hubs computer.

Year 2.175- Step 1 time! It’s your first board exam and really the major exam that will determine, or have a huge part, in determining your placement for residency. So, no pressure!

Year 3- Rotations start and hubs is now super amped up about being able to do hands on learning. He’s successfully completed 2 rotations so far and just started his third. I will admit his first 2 were really easy compared to what’s coming in the next few months. He had fairly regular hours (aside from studying for step 1).  He did miss Elijah getting his tonsils out- I’m sure the first of many things that will be like that. But, it’s part of the process. The rotation he’s in now requires on call status so there might be times where he gets called in at weird hours of the night. That will be a new process for us. It’s going to be a learning curve for sure, but we’re over half way there so it keeps me going.

What always surprises me are when people presume that being doctor is “easy and carefree”. Both the path of becoming a doctor, as well as being a doctor, are neither. You sacrifice time with family and friends and you’re in high stress situations with a mountain on liability riding on your shoulders. Yes, there are financial perks. There have to be. Otherwise no good business person would consider medical school- the cost to attend is so high, you need a return on that investment to even break even.

All in all, it’s been highly stressful, exhausting and downright irritating sometimes, but hubs and I are closer than ever. He’s doing what he loves- which makes me happy for him. We are forced to communicate, not just frequently, but effectively as well. We plan better, even if in-between is a whirlwind. Most of all, we’re a team- so at least I don’t feel completely alone. Well, not until he has 36 hour shifts and then I’ll hog the bed and binge watch Netflix to fill in the gap!

Ode to Single Parents

~ Kara Mills ~ 1 Comment

For the month of May, hubs was out of state for an exam prep course. He was gone for 4 solid weeks. Four solid weeks of just me and the 3 boys: school, work, soccer, repeat. A lot of people were horrified that he was away, often remarking, “What in the world are you going to do!?”. Really, I had it easier than most. My advantage is that I knew ahead of time that he was leaving. There are many moms out there that are thrust into single parenthood without notice. If I don’t plan well, that’s on me!

I’m not saying there were no bumps in the road. We had an incident where I thought the house was being broken into and had to call 911- read about that here. We of course could not go 4 weeks without a sick kid. Seriously, enough with the fevers and ear infections already! And, in the thick of it, I had to travel for 5 days to my annual conference in Las Vegas. It was all a whirlwind. I could not have survived without hubs mom who visited often to help out (i.e. check on my sanity), or my mom who came to stay with the boys while I was gone (I’m pretty sure she will never, ever do that again!).

At the end of the month when I was thinking over everything, I was shocked at how fast it went by and also that I survived! I felt so accomplished! The last time I felt that accomplished was when I pushed a watermelon sized baby out of my body! But, I only did this single thing for a month, I had time to plan, and I had family to help in a pinch. All I could think about  were all the single parents I know that do this every day- many without ever complaining- and they’re kicking butt! I have such respect for those folks. Sure, I can toot my own horn and act all giddy that I made it one whole month without hubs (it was really just by the grace of God that we made it through!), working full time, with 3 boys. But, that was only 1 month. I knew there was an end. I had that to look forward to and keep me in a constant adrenaline rush.

So, to all my single parents, kudos to you for making it happen, all day, every day. I have so much respect for you. And when hubs is in residency and we see him maybe 3 hours a week, I may be coming to all of you for advice!

TO: The Others (“Med Student +1”)

~ Kara Mills ~ Leave a comment

Part of being the “+1” of a med student is learning to cope while life, as you know it, changes. It doesn’t matter if you’re dating, married, or married with kids. Life changes. A lot. And it’s not pretty at all. I try hard to stay smiling and keep my head up for hubs, after all, he’s in the thick of it. It’s best if he has one less thing to worry about. However, I am human. I started blogging as one outlet, but it tends to be a one sided conversation so that’s not always therapeutic.

Towards the end of last school year a professor at the med school asked hubs if I would be interested in starting a spouse/partner support group for the undergraduate medical students. I decided it was worth a shot. I’m not a group leader of anything so I wasn’t really sure what to do. I really wanted to hear what others expected out of the group. I thought, based on how I was feeling, it didn’t seem to make sense to do some big, extravagant get together and act like everything is perfect. It’s not. Life is chaotic on a good day and more often than not, I feel like I’m sharing hubs with 179 other people. It seems a little Facebookish to pretend it’s fine when it’s not. I really wanted to hear what others had in mind. So I brought lots of food and hoped it would cover the fact I had no set plan. Of course I had a small panic attack while I was heading to the meeting. What if I’m really the happiest person there and everyone else is on the brink of disaster? Or, what if I’m Debbie Downer? Or what if I’m the only one who shows up?! I’m happy to say that none of the above happened. We had about 7 or 8 people attend and they’re all incredible! They have good days and bad ones. It’s been challenging and every single frustration or story that was shared was wholeheartedly agreed upon by other group members. It was amazing!

So, for those that have a person in med school (or any other similar situation), here are some words of advice as stated by folks in the group.

  • You are NOT ALONE! If you’re person is not alone in their situation, you’re not the only person in yours. Find your peers and vent together, smile together or just know you have each other when needed.
  • It’s always changing. Each semester changes and new challenges are introduced while old ones (if we’re lucky) go away. Be prepared for change and embrace it as an opportunity to see what you are capable of.
  • Share the good, bad, and ugly of what you’re going through and expect that almost everyone (outside of your group of peers) will not understand. It’s okay to be human and no one should expect you to be perfect all of the time.
  • Take it one step at a time. Don’t look at all of the different tasks over the next several years. Handle it a task at a time. For example, don’t stress about where you will match for residency your first year. You have a few years before that comes up.
  • COMMUNICATE!!! I cannot stress this enough! Everyone in the group said this too- talking about things makes it easier when tough stuff comes up- which will happen. Even if it takes them 2 days to text you back, keep trying, don’t give up!

For those of you who are friends or family to the “+1”, here are a few bits of advice:

  • Be kind. We know that this was a choice. It’s not like our person woke up one day and was required to go to med school. They chose to go. But when we’re having a bad day, we don’t need you to remind us that “you chose this, deal with it”. Sometimes we just need to vent.
  • This ties into the first point of being kind. Allow us to be grumpy, depressed, have a bad day, or whatever we need. There are periods of time where things really are crappy- and that is putting it really nice. Sometimes we need a moment to have a pity party and then move on. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows here people!
  • Stop acting like med school takes 3 decades to complete. It’s only 4 years and then residency. Most people agree that when you have kids, you blink your eyes and they go from a baby to elementary school. The same applies to our med school person. I can hardly believe that hubs is half way through his second year. It doesn’t seem possible!
  • Please don’t assume that just because hubs will be a doctor that I no longer want to work and I will be a “Doctor’s Wife” (said with my best snooty enthusiasm). He was a teacher when we married so I clearly didn’t marry him for his money. I built up my own career and enjoy it. Not to mention we will have a ba-zillion dollars of med school loans to pay off so I’m pretty sure I’ll be working until I’m 110.
  • Don’t be offended if you do not get first dibs at the med student. As a “+1” we wait patiently day after day, text after text, waiting to hear back from our person, daydreaming of an extravagant date night watching DVR reruns of The Blacklist and eating old takeout. We’ve dealt with their roller coaster of emotions during these different blocks of classes and have earned that alone time. Don’t worry, you’ll get your time, just be patient.

I’m sure there is a lot more- which I would love to hear. But most of all, don’t give up. Know you’re not alone and that the end of this grueling process is not far away. It’s worth it.

Full Circle

~ Kara Mills ~ 2 Comments

Almost 1 year ago- to the day- I published my first blog post. I really wasn’t sure what would happen with it. Would I post once and walk away having checked an item off my bucket list? Would it become a sensational piece of writing and I could retire young? Okay- I really wasn’t holding my breath for that one. Would I even continue on to be able to celebrate 1 year of therapeutic writing? All kinds of questions came to mind. I can actually remember it, vividly. I remember it because I was sitting in a hotel room in Las Vegas, having been at a conference all day for work, and decided on a whim it was time for ME to have a “hobby”. Something outside of work that I can use as a medium and voice I wouldn’t otherwise have. So, here I am, full circle, because I am sitting in a hotel room- in Phoenix this time for work- thinking about what I should do. I like writing, I’ve been told by some that I’m decent at it (thank you by the way- even if you’re exaggerating!). It’s been interesting to share some stories along the way that I feel are entertaining, and even educational at times. So, in honor of this blogiversary, I am listing a few things I have learned over the last year.

  • Any posts written about hubs and/or medical school always had the most views. I make 2 conclusions from this. The first is that hubs is a pretty awesome guy (which is why I married him!) so he of course would be interesting to read about because who goes back to medical school at our age?! The second is that perhaps most of the people reading those posts are friends/classmates of hubs and that is what drives the traffic. That kind of makes sense, except that I thought all they did was study in med school. Maybe I was mistaken…
  • Having a blog is like having a business, without the need to for taxes. I feel like there is some component of marketing and customer interaction but I don’t have to worry about filing taxes and I have free reign in what I say. Kind of awesome if you ask me!
  • There is a very dedicated group of folks who write often, interact often and have a ba-zillion followers through all of the different avenues. I am not one of those. I made a commitment to myself that I would post at least once a month and I have done so over the last year. I may try to do more but why put the pressure on and make it not fun?
  • I was able to write about the relevant, irritating, entertaining first world problems that we encounter on a daily basis. I am not changing the world with this blog, but I hope that it can make someone smile. And perhaps, in a small, butterfly effect kind of way that can have a positive impact the world? Am I grasping for straws?
  • It made me realize that an item on my bucket list, writing a book, is actually a possibility. Now, I didn’t say it would be a GOOD book, just a book. Someday. Not now. Med school and book writing are akin to mixing oil and water.

So, it’s not a profound list, just a few notable items. I will truck along and see what the next year of writing brings. Hopefully less writers block and more entertaining topics to share! Thank you to all who read, encourage me, and tell others about my writing. I’m always open for suggestions and really do value your input! Happy reading!

The Talk

~ Kara Mills ~ 2 Comments

Well, it was bound to happen at some point. Elijah is in fourth grade and I know that they will begin talking about puberty and all of those things that made us blush when we were that age. We’ve always taken a very honest approach with the boys. Meaning, that we would always tell the (age appropriate) truth when they asked questions. When I became pregnant with Asher, there was obviously some interesting discussions. Aden for a long time thought that people got pregnant when they got “married”. So, according to the reproductive guidelines from Aden, hubs and I have been “married” 3 times. We left that alone for the moment.

Tonight was a different story. On our way home from Elijah’s Lego League practice (more info to come on that later), we began talking about bodily fluids that carry disease. Now, I won’t go into great detail on this post- although I’m sure you’re wondering how in the world we got onto that subject. Let’s just say, when you put enough elementary school kids together, there is bound to be at least one kid who picks their nose….and eats it. Like caviar.

Sorry, I had to puke in my mouth for a second. Anyway, I was explaining to Elijah that you can’t just go around sharing finger foods (popcorn, pretzels, chips, etc.) with everyone because it’s a concentrated germ factory in there. Honestly, I may not have been so passionate about it had I not seen the nasal caviar incident, but now, it’s totally on my radar. So, as I was explaining this, he asks me why boogers are a bio-hazard. I explain that there are a number of virus’ and bacteria that are carried in there. He then asks why blood is a bio-hazard. I begin explaining that there are virus’ that can be transferred through blood or bodily fluids that can be harmful to people. Did you catch that? I said bodily fluids. Yeah, I didn’t catch that either, until he asked me what I meant by that. Crap. I wasn’t really prepared to have this discussion on the car ride home from Lego League, while I’m super tired too. So, I thought that if I ask him some questions, maybe I can get an idea of where he is in his understanding and then carefully select how to respond- and then hubs and I can address it with him later on in more detail. Here was the conversation.

Me: “Well Elijah, what do you really know about how a baby is made?”

Elijah: “Yes, God puts the baby in the moms belly and it grows.”

Me: “Yes, I suppose that’s right on a grander scale, but what happens with the mom and dad?”

Elijah: “Oh yeah, that. Well, the dad uses his jelly beans and puts a molecule in the mom and it grows into a baby. When it gets a little bigger, the genetic profile is created to say if it’s a boy or a girl.”

Me: (smiling) “Yup, that’s pretty much it. The bodily fluids are the fluids that help that molecule get into the mom, which is how disease can be spread.”

Elijah: “Ooohhh, that makes sense!”

So, maybe not my best response (remember, I was REALLY tired), but in the end, he seems to have understood what I was trying to say. And, my greater hope, is that he will think twice before sharing finger foods with everyone!

The First Year of Medical School- From the Wife’s Perspective

~ Kara Mills ~ 3 Comments

Well, it’s finally over! The first year of med school is behind us! I do say “us” because, although hubs had to suffer through crazy hours, studying, and terminology that I think he may never use again, life was crazy for me. Life with a full time job and 3 kids is crazy as it is, throw in med school and that’s just complete chaos- on a good day. I’m not complaining, I’m just keeping it real. Either way, it’s behind us. So, one year down, three more to go until we can call him Dr. Hubs. Similar to my post about applying to med school, I thought it would be good to recap the first year. There were a number of things that I observed as the spouse of a first year med student, that I’m sure friends and family may have noticed as well. Here are a few that are worth noting.

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Acute Rhinitis, and Other Words- Sign #2 That You Live With a Med Student

~ Kara Mills ~ Leave a comment

It occurred to me recently that, in an effort to support hubs, my vocabulary was changing. I try my darnedest to understand what the heck he’s talking about, using words with more letters in them I thought possible in the English language. I mean, really, who sat around and decided some of these names? Myocardial infarction (heart attack), acute rhinitis (runny nose), emesis (vomiting). Why not just say she’s barfing her guts out? Or he has a snot face? I suppose that’s not really professional, but who has the time (or brain capacity) to learn all of the “alternative” words for our common daily ailments? I do try hard to at least kind of know what he’s saying. Sometimes my space cadet expression gives him the hint to elaborate on whatever he’s said. Other times when he’s wandering around the house talking about a lecture he heard or a study he read and starts sputtering off some random words, I actually understand him! In fact, a couple of times I’ve even surprised him by knowing a few things (thank you Grey’s Anatomy!). When I tell him that I learned it from TV he rolls his eyes, which makes it even better.

I do have to be careful though. Sometimes I say a technical word outside of the house and I’m sure I sound like an obnoxious know-it-all. Which is not my intent, it kind of comes out before I can catch myself. Be assured that I am NOT interested in becoming a medical doctor. At all. I just am trying to support hubs learning all of these crazy words so he can sound like a doctor. Well, and be one too.

So, in the last several months, we’ve had our fair share of different illnesses with the kids. The common cold, puking, diarrhea, fevers, you name it, I swear we’ve had it. I struggle when I take the kids into the doctor, how to properly communicate. If I say they’re puking, does that sound too simple? But if I use technical words, does that sound too textbook? Or, my worst fear would be that the doctor would then begin communicating with me in all the doctor lingo that I really don’t understand. It’s like being in a foreign country and knowing about five words. When you use them, locals think you can speak the language and begin a lengthy conversation with you. Before you know it, you’ve sold your kidney on the black market for a mere $7. So, I typically opt for the simpler vocab.

All in all though, based on what hubs says, it doesn’t seem that doctors really expect patients to be able to say the technical words. In fact, there have been a few times when I’m going over my medical history, that I will say that I had a P.E. (pulmonary embolism- blood clot in the lung) and I get the look from the in-take person as if they’re confirming with me if I really know what I’m talking about. Yup, I’m pretty sure I won’t forget that whole experience, thank you very much.

I suppose this whole process might just be another sign (side effect) of living with a med student. I wonder at times, if I learn enough by osmosis, can I get an honorary degree? Seems like a good idea right?