Musings of a Mind on Medicine

On Tuesday I learned that I will not be returning to clinical rotations in January as I had hoped.  I waited to say anything about it here until I had more details.  Unfortunately, nothing is written in stone or even clay as much as I’d hoped.  I wanted to hear dates and deadlines and specifics, but things are still as much in the air as they had been previously.  I have only the resolution of knowing that the answers I sought do not actually exist.

Extending the leave of absence creates a huge wake of difficulties in my non-school life.

Because I am not enrolled as a student, my health insurance will expire mid-January, and I’m not sure what I’ll do in the meantime.  A medical leave of absence is a very bad time to be uninsured.  There is a possibility that I can be on my mom’s plan until I turn 26 in March, but they might require proof of enrollment.  Another option is medicaid… and that idea makes me cringe.

Losing my insurance also means that I will likely have to switch psychiatrists in a month.  When it comes to determining the timeline for my return and my readiness to go back, the only opinion as important as the psychiatrist’s is my own (or at least that’s what I understood when I met with the faculty yesterday).  If I am having to switch providers, it could take a while before that person feels he/she knows me well enough to certify me as being ready to go back to school… thus possibly delaying the process unnecessarily.  That makes me nervous.

Extending the leave of absence also means that I will not qualify for any financial aid.  Loans were my sole source of income, so I suddenly find myself completely broke.  Obviously you need money for frivolities like rent, medications, food, and so forth, so I’m now in the process of job hunting.  However, it’s hard for me to look for jobs when I’m not sure how long I’ll be working or even what hours.

I asked the faculty if I could sit in on the first years’ lectures while I’m on the leave so that I can learn/relearn/review some of the subjects where I feel my knowledge is weak… which is most of them.  :( Their response didn’t leave me with much optimism, but I still hope there’s a chance.  If they’ll allow me to do that, then an evening job would be better.  I wish I knew.

I don’t know if I’ll be going back to school in February or September or anywhere in between, so although I know I’d be a “temp” employee, I don’t know how temporary I’d be.  I’d hate to commit to something and then have to pull out early, or wind up in a job that ends too soon.

There are two main options I’m considering for work… one is the possibility of working for the 2010 census.  That idea is promising because it pays really well, has flexible hours, and is temporary… but I’d likely going door-to-door pestering people, which is not really my thing.  The other is that I’m hoping to find work in a clinic somewhere as an MA/Receptionist/Records Clerk.  It’s what I’d done for years before PA school, so I doubt it would be too hard for me to slip back in, but it doesn’t pay as well, and most places are going to want to hire someone permanently.

We’ll see.  I re-did my resume, I’ve put up a work wanted ad on Craigslist, and I’m checking the job listings regularly.  I need to call a census office to ask what months I’d be employed if I worked for them.  I have to figure out my insurance situation, and I need to find a new psychiatrist who can see me soon.  On top of that, I’m supposed to go out of town tomorrow, but we’re expecting a blizzard around the time of my flight, so that could cause some problems… I’ll clean and pack anyway.

I have my work cut out for me.