PA-CERTIFIED!!!!

So, this started as a short blurb and apparently became a fill-in the blog where I left off for 6 months. I know I explained in my quick 6 month re-cap that I had to retake my boards. Let me just tell you how it went down...

I went to grad school for 2 1/2 years and scheduled my boards which are required to practice as a "board-certified PA" (go figure). Marie, my closest and dearest friend from PA school, and I took a certification/recertification review class about one month after graduation that was a 5 day, all day class. I then got home and banned my husband from our basement for another 10 days and studied my brains off. I took the test as scheduled and waited impatiently for 8 days to see my score. Marie did the same. We took the test a few days apart. Finally, after checking the NCCPA's (I guess you would call them the official board of the above mentioned "Boards" Tehehe) website approximately 30 times daily, I logged on one day and instead of there being no information about me, meaning I was nothing more than a student, there was an official number. I had an NCCPA number. What did that mean? I was board certified for 6 years as long as I kept up the appropriate requirements...CME, payments etc.

Sooooo, along came 2009. I am actually allowed to start retaking the test in my 5th year which would have given me 8 chances to take the test, if necessary. I am allowed to take it once every 90 days. I was a little busy having an Emalinn in 2009, so I kinda didn't even begin to think about taking it last year. Sometime in December 2008 I started getting things together to study. Note I said, "getting things together to study." I then forgot about it until the beginning of this year.

Next step, I talked with my boss and set up my CME for the year. Exciting trip to Chicago. IF you have not heard about it. It goes like this. It was originally supposed to be earlier in the year and in Dallas. I was still nursing Ema when that trip was scheduled. So, my mom offered to go and help with her while I was in class. We decided to invite my aunt, her sister, so that she could have company as well. Unfortunately, it fell at the same time that Ema was at Vanderbilt the first time this year. Through many phone calls, letters from doctors and other favors, we managed to get our trip changed to June to Chicago. We left out on a Sunday afternoon. My classes started on Monday at 7 am and went until 6pm. This went on for 4 days!!! They were nice enough on Friday to make it only be from 7 am to 2pm so that people could get out of that joint! Every night consisted of a 2 - 3 hour take-home test as well. FUN IT WAS NOT!!! To top it all off. On day three, I convinced Mom and Judy to go to a Sushi/Japanese restaurant...not a good idea. Approximately two or three hours after we got back, I woke up and proceeded to start barfing and then the diarrhea started. It lasted for over 12 hours. I had FOOD POISONING. If you have never had it, there is no way to describe it. I won't just because it was disgusting. I could not hold my head up the next day. I missed the entire day of classes. I was barely able to get up on Friday to go to class PLUS we had to pack up and fly home. All of this with a 13-month-old. It was brutal to say the least.

Even though the food poisoning happened, I still managed to get a really good review. I mean, I haven't studied about Cardiology and Nephrology and blah, blah, blah-ologies in forever. I had planned to come home and work for a couple of days, take off two days to review, then take my test. Unfortunately, my boss did not have a concept of what this test entailed; therefore, I believe her official quote was "we can't shut the office down for you to take some test." (Don't get me wrong, she has always been extremely giving and generous. I just don't think she understood.) So, I kept putting it off and putting it off because I couldn't get a few days off in a row to study.

THEN came the lay off. I was laid off on July 1st and given a month to "find a job." I decided to take it in the beginning of August since I was getting on into July and didn't have a job. I scheduled it for August 11. I started studying every day as many hours as I could. On days that I had babysitters, I left the house and studied all day. I even went to UTC and studied in an empty office down there. (I have an awesome cousin that works down there and is always helping me out, so she let me use one of the empty offices their department). Marie took the test about two weeks before I did. She was so depressed after taking it that she couldn't hold back from telling me that it was unbelievably hard. She was certain there was no way she passed. She then got her email three days later that told her to go to the NCCPA website to see if she passed or failed. SHE PASSED!!! She didn't take a review class but studied a review classes' live CD, so she was for sure I would pass.

AUGUST 11...I felt good about it. After practicing for 6 years, the review class seemed to make so much more sense. I knew that I didn't know everything that I need to know about medicine, but I felt confident that I could pass the test...until I actually took it. I sat in this testing center for 5 sections that were each an hour long and consisted of 60 questions. There was also a 45 minute break that I could use however I wanted throughout the sessions. It was insane. There were questions on the test about stuff I've never heard of in my life. I walked out of there exhausted and extremely depressed about it. I, of course, called and vented to Marie. I then went home to wait the "up to 2 - 3 weeks" to receive my scores.

Yesterday, I happened to get online on the actual computer and not my cell phone...never happens these days. There it was. An email from the NCCPA. Dear Ms. McLaughen, Your exam scores are available for review. My favorite part was the two seperate paragraphs. One with instructions that started "If you have passed" and the "If you have not passed." I was in tears before I could open the, oh by the way already extremely slow website!!!!! My hands could literally barely type in that NCCPA board certification number that I memorized 6 years ago. There it was in black and white...PASSED.

THANK YOU LORD FOR ALL OF YOUR BLESSINGS!

P.S. SIDE NOTE for those who have not had food poisoning. I have eaten sushi for over 10 years. My most favoritist food is sushi. My most favoritist sushi is Tuna. I got sick on sushi. I got sick on Tuna! As tradition for our anniversary, Hunter and I go to Hiroshi's and splurge on a fabulous sushi dinner. This was the first time I had it since the episode. I couldn't do it. I wasn't able to eat it. It literally was like stuck in my throat. It's going to take some time. I don't even know if I'll ever be able to do it. It really is no fun!!!