The Gum Tree for 2005 July 27

After a couple of weeks of traveling, Louise and I only have a few more days left until we start our respective new assignments. There is some good news for me in all the new beginnings. While we were driving into Denver on I-70, I got a phone call from an person named Joseph who was interested in having me come and take over his position at a surgical center. He is a surgical tech at a center in West Plains Missouri. I had applied for this job about 2 weeks ago, so I was excited to see what would come of it. Yesterday, I received a call from the Owner and Chief Opthamalogist of the surgical center. He interviewed me and told me about what I would do as his assistant. Those duties include working with him in eye surgeries (the scalpal and suture kind), take dictation, remove stitches, take eye pressure measurements, and other patient pre-operation work as well as many other jobs.

West Plains is a town of 11,000 people. It is also on the outskirts of Mark Twain National Forest. The doctor I will be working with is the only Opthamalogist within 100 miles, so if there is an eye trauma case that comes in during the middle of the night, I may have to get out of bed to assist.

Louise, meanwhile, will be down in Ruston, LA (about 350 miles away), and will be in the center until she joins me in West Plains. I will have time to visit on weekends every other week (as the doctor works 4 day weeks every other week). We are both very excited about the prospects of personal growth that is in store for us this comming year. I will have some time to really train for a marathon, as well as have plenty of time to interview for Med-school, and work in a fabulous job that will prepare me to become a doctor.

In other news, we are visiting Alyson here in Kansas and having a good time visiting KU, going to the Zoo, and eating really good BBQ. Alyson has been a wonderful hostess.