Cross Roads

I passed the board. Yey!

Now, what do I want in life?
Do I want to go into residency? And specialize? Specialize on what exactly?

Surgery takes too long a time.
My ideal would be OB, because cases are similar, it has a medical and surgical side. BUT, there are too much OBs out there.
I know I won't go into pedia... well, because... I hate computations? It's hard to get an accurate history from them? They are not simply "younger" adults.
I though about going to ENT because it has a medical and surgical side, too. According to a resident, I could train in Europe for 6-12 mos, and I would become a plastic surgeon! Wow! That's the specialty I want if ever I wanted surgery. But, just like ophtha, I need equipment to start my practice, and well, I didn't really find it easy to use such equipments. I also do not like studying the head part basically.
Since I am undecided, I thought about IM. After all, if all else fails, the point of whole medical school simply revolve around this, right? Also, most of I know would generally benefit from this, since most of my friends would be adults! And try ko lang, if after 3-4 yrs, I'm still undecided, at least I finished IM correct? Then it would be to pick another subspec such as endo or maybe the depressing hema-onco... Both diseases run in the family.

But what about Emergency Medicine? Positive points would be I would know how to treat an acute emergency wherever I go (but then again, all doctors should know this!), it's exciting that I think the years will fly by, and it has a surgical and medical field too. Negative points would be that after residency, what will I become? ER Med are usually associated with a hospital, or working abroad. ER Med is not that develop in the Philippines. I also read that if I want to earn money, ER Med would be good... Probably because it's a growing specialty in the Philippines, and maybe in the future, all hospitals will really be manned by ER Med...
But I also do not have regularly follow-up patients. (Except maybe if I was in the province practicing, and I have my own outpatient clinic.)

Anyway, I applied for ER Med in St Luke's and IM in Capitol.

But I'm not really sure.
Really? What I want is to work for a while. Or travel. Or both, such as work somewhere new.
That's why, I really want to pass this job interview and hope I could be a cruise MD!
Apparently, not everyone who submits their requirements are given interview opportunities!

So yeah, I think Cruise MD is my first choice.
Then, maybe I will take up my cousin with her offer for a moonlighting stint at Naga.
I don't know... And then, I haven't really thought... what if St Luke's or Capitol calls me?
Do I pick my moonlighting stint over them?
Well, if it's Cruise MD, I think I shall...
After all, I did promise to myself I will have my one year of rest, right? =)

1st Trip to Mindanao

CDO-Camiguin-Bukidnon Outing
Aug 23-27, 2010 (same week ng application sa prc!)

Day 1: Arrived at CDO. Taxi to Balingoan Port. Sailed to Camiguin. Checked in at Enigmata. Sightseeing: Cold Springs (had lunch-afternoon snack-early dinner there), Sunset at Sunken Cemetery, Ardent Hot Springs.

Day 2: Continued sightseeing in Camiguin: Kabibe beach, Bura Soda Spring (lunch), old Church Ruins, Walkway, Katibawasan falls. Checked out. Back to Beloni port to sail Paras, straight to CDO port. Checked in at Budgetel. Dinner at Butcher's Best.

Day 3: CDO river trekking at Mapuwa with the water slide, 30-ft jump, and 60-ft rappel + bonus zipline (thanks to Loi's cousin Iggy). Cagayan river rafting in the afternoon + bonus rain (para hindi boring! hehe). Dinner at Lokal's, followed and meet more of Loi's cousin in Candy's.

Day 4: Went to Dahilayan, Bukidnon by hiring a taxi (after 1+ hr of haggling and getting loist). Zorbit at Forest Park. (Didn't do zipline anymore since we did it yesterday.) Del Monte Plantation. Lunch at er um, it starts with P (hehe). Art gallery in Xavier University to meet more of Loi's cousins. Dinner at Chamboi something (was featured in Lonely Planet!), dessert somewhere near Limketkai.

Day 5: Relax. Watch the parade (supposedly). Lunch at Steve's Chicken. Airport.

Sorry, forgot most of the names haha
Most of the pics are in Lulu's camera. Most of mine came from Kabibe beach in Camiguin and Mapawa Nature Park (dahil sa waterproof, kaso mid-way na lowbat), and Bukidnon (dahil naubusan ng camera si Loi).