Updates:
~~Autumn~~
First things first: I’m very pleased to announce that I’ve accepted a position with Providence medical group in Portland, Oregon! It’s a large institution, and I’ll be working alongside 6 other PAs. I think it’s going to be an excellent place to continue learning. I’ll be taking a few weeks after graduation and then starting work on January 15th.
I’ve also registered to graduate, got my graduation outfit, plus the gown and regalia. So things are really moving along now. Last order of business is to simply finish these last 2 months! I’ve also registered for and scheduled my board exam. The process of registering for the board exam is exactly like everything else in the grad school experience, time-consuming and expensive. The hardest part will be maintaining my will to study until December. My current studying has me putting in 10-15 hours per month, in which I’m trying to synthesize information from several sources so I can create a clearer picture of everything I’m learning.
For the last 2 months, I’ll be living in Youngstown, OH, which is a town with a lot of history as an old steel-town. Finding housing here was challenging, but I’ve ended up renting a room in a house hosted by a professor at Youngstown State University. We’ve bonded well already as roommates; going for walks, finding the good food in town, etc. I was pleased to discover that Youngstown has a Unitarian Universalist congregation, which I’ve become a part of. I was raised UU, so it’s been truly wonderful to be able to find a sort-of familiar community of which I can be a part, especially as the colder months arrive. Youngstown has its fair share of attractions as well. I’ve gone to Mill Creek park several times, and I’m still discovering new areas of it. There is a decent community theater scene here, and I’m planning on attending a couple of performances while I’m here. Not to mention, I’m still visiting Pittsburgh often to see classmates and meet up for events there.
Reflection: On transitioning to the workforce…again
I was previously a MLS (AKA a Medical technologist or Med tech, etc.). So I first transitioned to the “real world” workforce in 2018. There are a lot of things to consider when going through this life transition. I don’t think anything could have prepared me for how challenging this year was going to be. There were one too many wild-card events in my life that completely pulled the rug from under me. All of this is to say, moving across the country and starting a new job? Piece of cake in comparison to this year.
So I suppose the upside is that this year has prepared me for the next steps, which was always the point of it.
Disease of the day: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
EDS is a genetic connective tissue disorder that impairs collagen structure or synthesis. EDS has an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern, except for Types VI and VIIc. EDS is clinically important because it can cause poor wound healing and ruptures involving the colon, cornea, or large arteries
Here are the 6 main types, with their primary symptoms (credit to PathBites for this list)
Classical (I/II): Skin and joint hypermobility, easy bruising
Hypermobility (III): Joint hypermobility, pain, dislocations
Vascular (IV): Thin skin, arterial or uterine rupture, bruising
Kyphoscoliosis (VI): Hypotonia, joint laxity, congenital scoliosis, ocular fragility
Arthrochalasia (VIIa,b): Severe joint hypermobility, scoliosis, bruising
Dermatosparaxis (VIIc): Severe skin fragility, cutis laxa, bruising
Some of the genes that may be mutated in various types of EDSs are COL5A1, COL5A2, PLOD1 (Lysyl hydroxylase)
Some pictures and videos from Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, and the Allentown Night Market in Pittsburgh