Med School & Matrimony

I just read another fellow medical student's blog about their thoughts on being married and in medical school. It was quite fitting considering a discussion I had with my husband this morning while going for a walk. We were talking about how we couldn't believe how far we've come since we first started school, and how in less than just nine months I'll finally graduate and be a doctor. It's been such an incredible journey and I think that without my hubby (and now a little boy), I would have gone down a totally different path. Not necessarily any worse or any better. Just not the same.

When I first started med school, my then "boyfriend" and I had lived together for about a year. Only about two months into school he proposed. We married the summer after I finished second year just after I took my first step of my board exams (note to fellow med students: I do not recommend trying to plan a wedding and take a very stressful board exam at the same time). I didn't even think twice about getting married while in med school. My husband has been my biggest supporter and always encouraging me, so of course getting married just seemed right.

The fact that my husband was also in grad school at the time and experiencing the same trials and tribulations as me, helped us grow closer and lean on each other for support. We'd both come home after a long day of classes, buckle down and study, then head to bed only to do it all over again the next day. And the one thing we agreed upon was that we'd have a little "us" time on the weekends (unless there was a huge test coming up the next week, in which case we'd spend a bit more time studying). I think that's why so many people in my school ended up dating and later getting engaged or married. Having someone who can share in your experience during such a stressful period definitely makes you feel like you're not alone.

I never could have foreseen where I'd be now when I first started school. Who'd have thought that in the last four years I'd have gotten married and had a baby all while making it through med school? And I can't help but wonder if I wasn't a wife and a mom, would I still be choosing to be a family practitioner? Or would I have picked a field that was more demanding of my time and more competitive? I guess it doesn't really matter because the point is, that I'm happy where I'm at today. More than happy actually, I'm ecstatic! I am so blessed with an amazing family, and I'm about to start a career as a doctor doing something I'm so proud of and truly enjoy doing. It's funny how life just kind of leads you where you never knew you were meant to be.