I am just finishing my sixth semester at Duke. Sixth! Man. Sometimes I wish I could have taken more advantage of all of the resources and opportunities provided at this school, but it was enough to barely keep up with homework and work. Two semesters left! I just found out today that my next rotation is in Idaho Falls which I'm really grateful for. Hoping for a really good experience! I do not know yet who my preceptor will be, but I'm hoping for the best. I finish all my didactic courses next semester, which means that the summer will be my final synthesis courses for both women's health and endocrinology - translating into about a bajillion clinical hours over the summer. But then I'll be done in August! I'm planning to take my boards the first of September and have already bought materials to start studying for the exam. That is unreal :). I'm actually going to be a nurse practitioner.
This year the transition of my role from registered nurse to nurse practitioner has felt much more real. I have noticed a shift in my approach to problems and health in general. I look through the case studies in my homework and am more easily noticing red flags, noting things I'd want to change, identifying what I would further assess, what labs I would order, how I would start my treatment plan, etc. I have honestly learned so much, though you can never know enough. And I am loving every minute of it! One of the physicians I follow on Instagram is an OBGYN, and a few weeks ago she posted a video about the different types of twins - it was the coolest thing ever. I totally spent the rest of the night looking up placentas and twins and I knew that I definitely chose the right field. Something that I have found to be really interesting though is how much I am really enjoying gynecology. I chose to become a WHNP because I really loved working with my pregnant/postpartum moms as an RN, but as I go through school and my rotations I am finding that I really really love the gynecology aspect of the job too, not just obstetrics! Women's health in general is an awesome field because there's so much to see and there's a pretty good mix of procedures too (which I love, I'm definitely a hands-on person!). As a WHNP, there are lots of places I could potentially work - primary care of women, OBGYN, maternal fetal medicine, reproductive endocrinology/infertility, or even gynecologic oncology. And all of them sound pretty good to me! I am a little nervous about being able to find a job after I graduate but I have always felt very good about this path, so we will just have to wait and see where I end up!
AND...I got to insert an IUD during my rotation in October. That was the coolest thing ever. Seriously, I loved it. I love doing exams and procedure skills that are a reflection of my graduate training and education. It really is kind of unreal to me that I'm going to be a nurse practitioner! But imposter syndrome is real...more to come on that in the next post.
Side note: I have three IUDs sitting in my closet right now. They are educational models that don't have any hormone in them, but they're such pretty colors and I don't think I'll ever be able to part with them. I'm thinking of adding one of them to my keychain.
Also, I have learned SO MUCH in my diabetes class this semester. I am so grateful for the opportunity to study endocrinology in greater depth at Duke. There are so many endocrine problems that are prevalent in our society today, and I feel much better prepared to take care of people with these disorders. I will tell you though that learning the pharmacology for this diabetes class has been BRUTAL. There are about a billion different types of insulin, as well as five or six other classes of meds used to treat diabetes - not including the medications that diabetics are frequently on due to co-morbid conditions (like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc.). So much to learn, but this class has helped me immensely. Seriously cannot say enough good things about it. I finished my last assignment tonight, and it was a case study about a long-standing Type 1 diabetic who hadn't had medical care in a while. It was kind of neat to realize I knew what changes I needed to make to his insulin regimen without looking it up first (though of course I verified it with up to date resources and clinical practice guidelines). Prescribing insulin was so intimidating to me at the beginning of the semester but I feel much more comfortable with it now. Grateful to have such a good professor!
I am so happy that it's finally December. It may not be a popular opinion, but I truly love winter. I love the snow and the cold and the atmosphere during the winter months. So glad to finally have snow and icicles and quiet, hushed Earth. Love it so much :).
Anyway, that's about it for me. I'm feeling kind of sad that my time at Duke is coming to a close this next year. I have had such a wonderful experience and wish I could be a student there forever (though I really don't want to pay for that, ha!).
Hoping things are well for the rest of you!
