Wednesday, December 19, 2012

"If it's important to you, you will find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse. "

So it seems this is the theme of my life these days as it relates to getting on a health disparities research project using bioinformatics tools. I'll have to somehow find a way, and that way will likely require a move. Or I'll have to chart a different path toward this goal. Unfortunately, moving right now is COMPLETELY out of the question for a number of reasons not the least of which is that I'm not gonna' make my kid start at a new high school for part of her junior year and all of her senior year. Outside of something urgent like a REQUIRED move, I'm just not gonna' do it. It's also likely that I'll have to move for med school so that could potentially be 2 moves in as many years. Again, not even a slight consideration at this point.

In the meantime my side tutoring gig is really taking off so it looks like for now, tutoring combined with teaching at a local university, is going to be my temporary career focus. And I'm actually kinda glad about it because I get to meet lots of different people and also reinforce my science knowledge. So much so, that I've made a BIG decision where this is concerned and I've decided to retake the MCAT late next summer. I'm absolutely sure that I will FINALLY crack that 30 score I've been reaching for for years given the subjects I regularly tutor. And I'm also a little concerned that for some schools, my last score may expire (I took it in 2011), so this way my bases are fully covered. Yeah, I know it's kinda crazy on one level, but I feel very good about this decision.

Speaking of decisions, I attended the national health disparities meeting on Monday and had to literally drag myself to go. While I strongly believe that social and behavioral factors contribute to health disparities, I was very disappointed at the amount of basic science information presented either in the form of posters or presentations. And for me, this means that a very big piece of the health disparities puzzle is missing. A BIG ASS PIECE!!! Anyway, this combined with my inability to find a local health disparities fellowship project has me very discouraged. That said, if I were IN medical school or IN a PhD program, I'd have a TON of metro DC options. So......................

I signed up to be a volunteer at a local health department serving an underserved population and I can't wait to begin in January!!! I realized more then ever that I NEED to be around more people people, while using my background in the medical sciences and since I don't have the opportunity to do it on a research project, I'll find another way that probably better suits my personality anyway! I'm hoping to work in a clinic with other health professionals as I did many years before, but I'm also open to working in epidemiology too. Ironically, the woman that recruits volunteers asked me if I were interested in a full-time position and I'll look into that too. But for now, I'll be happy to volunteer in this underserved area while earning a living as a tutor and Adjunct Professor!!!

Bottom line, I WILL find a way to get my "health disparities" on and poppin!

2 comments:

  1. Sounds great! I hope that everything works out for you concerning this volunteer gig, as you would say. It would look great on your application, plus get you used to another side of medicine that people don't normally get a chance to see. Wishing you all the best and Merry Christmas :)

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    1. Thank you Dr. Kay, Merry Christmas and have a great new year!

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