Oto-HNS!!

It is official - I am going to be an ENT doctor, working in a department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery somewhere that I recently visited. Today, the computerized residency match notified me that I have indeed matched...somewhere. This is the next-to-last step in the long, drawn-out process of finding a job after medical school. While they told me I matched, I don't find out which program until Thursday afternoon, when they release each person's individual match. A friend of mine that I met during interview season posted the following quote on his Facebook today:

"Finding out I matched today was kind of like waking up in Vegas with a wedding band and a note saying "see you Thursday!'"

Exciting, but definitely more suspense than I was hoping for. Now that the anxiety of not knowing what the next step will be is starting to clear, I can start to reflect on medical school and the continuing process of becoming a health care provider without the uncertainty of what I'll be doing. I am excited to be finally taking care of patients on my own, and am even more excited to start learning the process of operating on the fine structures of the head and neck. It's been a long road, and it's far from over, but today represents a committal step in the right direction!