Learning How To Adult #BehindTheBlogger

Where I Belong: On the path to becoming/being a medical student, there are invariably manyĀ unfortunate instances of self-doubt. I wish I could tell you that this magically disappeared after graduating…but that’d be a complete and total lie.

I figured it was about time for another update in the realms of my medically-related life! Back in March, I matched into my first-choice residency program in the specialty of my dreams and…I’m already on the tail end of my orientation! (Time flies. ._.)

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This is 1 of 3 ID’s that I got in a span of 2 days.

This is actually the first time I’ve ever had a real and legitimate job (or at least, one that pays me enough to survive in the world). Learning how to adult has been rather interesting, but hopefully it’ll come naturally eventually! It’s weird not introducing myself as “Student Doctor” or even just saying that I’m working instead of being a student.

Life has been pretty hectic (so what else is new, right? :O ), but it’s way better than it could be becauseĀ my residency triesĀ its absolute best to ease us in instead of throwing us to the wolves. (Thank you! <3) Orientation hasĀ consisted of:

  • Welcomes, master schedule reviews, Intern 101’s, personality tests, EHR trainings, procedure trainings, office experiences
  • Meeting the entirety of the FM team, peds + IM chiefs
  • Presentations on the principles of FM, professionalism, presentation skills, EMR writing, diabetes, communication skills
  • Reviews on adult preventive care, child immunization schedules, MSK exams, antibiotics, OB, prescription writing, well woman exams
  • Morning reports on care of the elderly, radiology, EKG
  • Hospital + clinic scavenger hunts (if you recall, the hospital I’m at has its own app to help you re-orient yourself in case you get lost o_o)
  • Workshops on hospital admissions, admission orders, discharge summaries, patient simulations, mock cases

These past two weeks have reaffirmed a number of things…for instance, the fact that I really need to brush up on lots of things–particularly in the inpatient setting. We’ve been told time and again that it’s fine to feel lost and clueless–that’s part of being an intern, but they’re here to help us out if when we need it.

Meet me + my intern class! :D

The residents and the faculty go out of their way to make sure our questions get answered and ask often to make sure we’re not overwhelmed. I love that they’re so receptive to feedback and so flexible.

They even matched our teams to our respective interests! Two of my fellow interns are interested in women’s health/maternity care, so they’re on the pink team where they have more patients who are pregnant. I’m on the green team, which consists of more patients who speak Chinese (mostly Mandarin, but some Cantonese as well[!]) and has more geriatric patients, both of which are populations that I especially enjoy working with! <3

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They also made us shirts! :D!

The advisors we’re matched withĀ apparently handpick us based on our interests and how they can best help us to do whatever it is that we want to do, and theyĀ do their best to send opportunities our way. I actually bumped into my mentor from grad school at the residency graduation! She’s one of the nicest people ever and was responsible for helping me to shape a research project tailor-made to my interests back in the day.

I’m super super excited that I may get to work with one of the other residents and my advisor on developing the Nutrition curriculum for our program! :] Maybe I can finally find some way to incorporate work with Elijah’s Promise! (I doubt you’ve been around here long enough to know of my Soupervan craze, but it’s part of what I wrote about when I answered an email last year from my residency program asking if I was really applying because I wanted to come here.

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My intern bio!

I think the muff likes it here a lot too! :]! She chills at my apartment while I’m gone for the day and always comes to greet me at the door when I’m back. We spend evenings curled up on the couch or my bed while I review things and she purrs. <3

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Maybe it’s too early to reallyreally tell, and I’m sure I’ll have my bad days along with the good ones, but…I’m really glad I’m here. I’m soĀ happyĀ that I went with my gut when I was making my rank list, andĀ I truly believe that this is where I belong. I hope I make em’ proud! <3


  • When did you have to start learning to really-truly adult?
  • Where do you belong?

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28 comments

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  1. I feel like my adult-ing is coming out in different ways. I’ve worked for the past 5 years and now, I’m unemployed while my husband is attending medical school. And, without an income coming in, I certainly don’t feel like an adult. But, I’ve had to adult in other ways as we’ve made this transition across country on our own!

    1. *patpat* Super props to you! <3 I had a lot of friends in medical school whose spouses moved with them and their support made all the difference in helping them to get through medical school!

      That's definitely a huge one! I'm not looking forward to having to move all my stuff again, but I would eventually love to be back in California (or uh, Hawai'i :P ) again, so we'll see what happens! :o

  2. Sounds like things are falling right into place where they should be! Enjoy, be patient and learning to be an adult will be a breeze! :)
    Crystal Renaud recently posted…Greeting A New Home, A New Day And Worcester Half MarathonMy Profile

    1. Thank you! :D! The adulting part will definitely be a breeze compared to the other part (intern year)–I hope I survive!!!

  3. I love the shirt, haha!
    When I see you (soon) I will bring you some baked goodies…you need them!
    Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted…“Better Than Carvel” Homemade Gluten-Free Vegan Ice Cream CakeMy Profile

    1. Ahhh, I can’t wait! :D!! I just re-confirmed that I will basically be working at least one day of every weekend til December (other than this coming one and one in August), so it’d be awesome to see you before I disappear into the rubble that is intern year! :P

  4. Wow, it sounds like the program is a perfect fit for you. There is nothing worse than being thrown right into the work and feeling overwhelmed. I love the ‘hand-holding’ approach. :)
    Jenn – a traveling Wife recently posted…What I Eat In A Day [While Living In A Hotel]My Profile

    1. Forreals! :D They’re trying to make it as humane as possible with all the information they’re throwing at us, but I’m pretty scared about starting next week (excited too, but also super terrified). I hope it’ll be okay!!

  5. woohoo adulting!

    I’m so excited for you (also that t-shirt is awesome! how nice!)

    I still think you should spend your first paycheck on something fun and then start saving ;) I know you’ll do great and I can’t wait to hear more about it on the blog!
    Laura recently posted…Get Outside and Play!My Profile

    1. Thank you! :D + forreals! It was so nice of them! :]

      I’m not quite sure what I’ll do with it yet, but I’m sure I’ll think of something! I supersuper hope I’ll be able to keep blogging! It might become a little sporadic, but I did write a good number of posts into the future in preparation for this, so maybe it’ll be okay! :P

  6. Glad you’re settling in! I think those of us who go through a long grad school slog after undergrad can be a little mixed up, because sometimes in law and med school your fellow students run the gamut from recent grads hanging on to their college habits, to ones who are several years out and who might even be married or be parents! I never felt so young when one of my section-mates my first year, who was 9 years older than me (I was 21 my first year of law school) gave BIRTH right after finals. I felt like I needed to grow up and stop complaining about studying, stat!

    1. hahaha, for sure! My med school class had a lot more people who were “non-traditionals,” so a good number of them were married and/or had kids!

      Giving birth right after finals. o_o Yeah, I pretty much don’t have license to complain ever again, haha. I hear stories of residents who have not one, but TWO kids during residency. I can’t imagine ever doing that (nor would I want to), but majorrrrr props to all these hardcore people!

  7. Yay!! So proud of you, friend! You’re going to rock this :)

    1. Thanks so much, Nina! I really hope so!!

  8. I didn’t really learn to adult until after college, and my first year after undergrad was so hard because of it. I think it takes a year of adulting to really get it down ;). But then again sometimes I question myself now!

    Congrats on your residency and I’m glad it’s going well so far. It’s fun that you get to work with populations you’re interested in as well, I know that must make a big difference in how much you like it. It’s sweet that you have your cat to come home to, too :)
    Amy Lauren recently posted…Life Lately: July 2016My Profile

    1. Oh goodness, haha. It’s probably going to take me a while! I’ve been living pretty much on my own for the past 6-ish years but this is the first time I’m actually being paid (what what?!), so it definitely feels more like adulting!

      Thank you! <3 I got to work with my advisor/preceptor's patients today and it was a lot of fun! I ended up staying 3 hours later than I actually needed to because I was having such a good time talking with her and her patients, hehe. I'm super glad I have my cat to come home to also--she's great at decreasing my stress levels! <3

  9. I honestly still don’t know how to adult. Alex learned (I think he’s always had it in him, but residency really made a man out of him). I’ve kind of stayed in kid mode.
    Susie @ SuzLyfe recently posted…The Benefits of Running HillsMy Profile

    1. I feel like part of me is always going to be in kid mode!

  10. All I have to say is go get ’em girl! So happy to hear of your success and happiness!
    Kaylin@EnticingHealthyEating recently posted…JalapeƱo Lemonade Sweetened with Coconut SugarMy Profile

    1. Thank you! <3! I really hope I make em' proud! I have so much to learn though, hahaha.

  11. How cool that they made you shirts!!!

    I like to say that I’m a Kidult because I’m not quite an adult as I can be quite childish haha!
    Kristy from Southern In Law recently posted…Recipe: Easy Paleo Seeded Crackers (Grain Free & Low Carb)My Profile

    1. We’re apparently going to wear em’ to a conference somewhere this year! (I’ve lost all track of time and am just going by the day right now–so much information! o_o)

      I like that term!! :P That’s pretty much how I feel on most days!

  12. I’m so glad things are off to such a great start for you!

    1. Thank you! Me too! I just finished orientation and am starting on Monday! I hope it goes well!!

  13. Congrats!! It sounds like you are happy with how everything is turning out with your first Big Adult Job! :)
    Ruth recently posted…Summer CSA Week 12My Profile

    1. hahaha, at long last!!! The hours are long, but I’m just gonna tell myself that it could definitely be worse. ;P At least everyone’s super nice!!

  14. I belong right here in North Carolina….but the Canadian coast calls to me as well. I think I started being an adult when I was forced to live on my own for the fruit time. I had my own apartment all my own bills, and it felt good to pay them fully and on time and have extra money left over for indulges. However being a mom and wife has made me fall back, because I lack confidence in my everyday and I feel defeated most of the time. This I am hoping will change soon, because we are officially homeschooling tomorrow and maybe I can get my confidence back as I see her progress and now have a purpose, other then slave…..which I think all moms go through:o)
    Mandi Korn recently posted…Cruise In Car Show in Bethania, N.C.My Profile

    1. I feel ya on how awesome it feels to be able to pay bills and have a little extra! :D! I’ve been doing that for several years, but as they were all on student loans, it never quite felt real until now. I’m excited that she’ll be starting homeschooling today! :D!!

      (I think you’re definitely right about that! :P )

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