Mercer University, Macon, GA

The week after the UT Knoxville interview, Aaron had the opportunity to travel to Macon, GA for an interview with Mercer University (Medical Center of Central Georgia). He was even able to make a pit-stop in Douglasville the day before to visit with his mom and grandparents!

Aaron enjoyed his time in Macon. The meet-and-greet dinner with the residents was held at a resident's house with food catered by one of the best restaurants in the city. Aaron felt like this dinner, especially since it was at someone's home, was a great reflection on what living in Macon would be like. The next day, just like with the other interviews trips, Aaron participated in a thorough round of interviews with members of the surgery department. 

 

Here are some PROs for Mercer University:

Approximately 1.5 hours from our immediate family (and plenty of extended family in Macon!)

Cost of living is affordable

Mercer University has a MPH degree if I decided to go back to school

The residents seem like they have a real comradery with each other

There are many other PROs, and hopefully Aaron will fill me in on some more later.

Until next time!

Love,

Anna

87 days until MATCH DAY!

East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN

What's better on a snow day than to update your blog?? And what a coincidence that I would take this snow day to talk about the last snow day? So, here goes...

In mid-December, Aaron and I had the privilege to travel to Johnson City, TN to interview with East Tennessee State University's Department of Surgery. We traveled up on a Sunday afternoon and the winter weather was just beginning. By the time we got to the Carnegie Hotel where they were hosting us for the interview, the roads had become very icy and the snow was not letting up. Thankfully, the meet-and-greet resident dinner was in one of the beautiful rooms just off the lobby in the hotel, so traveling to the dinner wasn't too difficult. Many of the interviewees ended up not making it to this interview session because of how hard the traveling became. The dinner was fun, the food was delicious, and the people were incredibly friendly. I paired up with a resident's wife and got the low-down on life in Johnson City. I really appreciated all of her help and words of advice! She and her husband were from Augusta originally, so we immediately had something in common. 

Carnegie Hotel

Aaron in the lobby of the hotel

The next morning, the school had a shuttle pick up the interviewees from the hotel due to the road conditions. That meant I had the Jeep for the day! However, one look at the road, and the car, from our hotel window and I decided against it. So, I put on as many layers as I had, and went on a snowy adventure around the campus. I stayed surprisingly warm trudging though six inches of snow...for about an hour...and then it was back to the hotel! 

We ate at a wonderful BBQ place near the school on the way out of town and then we hit the road before the next line of winter weather came in. The way home was a long process, but slow and steady wins the race! Our best friend was snow plow that we followed for a portion of the way. 

Our best friend the snow plow. Check out the unplowed interstate lane on the left...eekkk!

PROs:

• Johnson City get's snow in the winter! (I know, a silly pro, and one that might not be a pro if I have to start shelving out my drive way...but on the other hand, we have had 3 snowfalls in Augusta since this time last year...maybe that is enough for me). 
• The cost of living is VERY affordable and most residents own houses. 
• About half of the residents are married, and the spouses really encourage each other
• Johnson City sounds like a very family-friendly community
• It's located in the middle of the mountains! Wahoo!! 
• Since the surgical subspecialty services are limited, the general surgery residents acquire a well-rounded surgical education that span further than a typical general surgery residency (includes orthopedics, ENT, ophthalmology, etc)

Until next time...

Love,

Anna :)

University of Tennessee at Knoxville

The beginning of December marked the start of many residency interviews this month, although MCG's interview kicked off the interview season at the end of November. I had the privilege of traveling with Aaron to Tennessee for his UT Knoxville interview, and it was so much fun! The drive was a little rough getting there (lots and lots of rain that brought some pretty chilly weather with it the next day), but we made it in plenty of time before the Meet-and-Greet Dinner with the residents and spouses. We quickly became friends with a PGY-1 (first year resident) and a PGY-3 and his wife and greatly enjoyed hearing their perspectives of life at the hospital and the incredible community they are apart of in Knoxville. We are so grateful for their honesty!

Aaron spent the next day interviewing with multiple surgical attendings, chatting with the residents (if they had free time...), and touring the hospital. I was invited out to lunch by the PGY-3's wife (we ate at Cafe' 4...I highly recommend it!), and then we went on a quick sight-seeing tour of Knoxville on our way back to the hotel. I am so thankful for her kindness and encouragement, and especially for the time she took out of her day to get to know me more personally.

I liked Cafe' 4 so much, that I took Aaron back there after his interviews finished for coffee and cupcakes before we started on our journey back to Georgia. They have the best cupcakes!! I had a peppermint chocolate cupcake, and he had an eggnog...yes, eggnog..cupcake. Delicious!

Me in front of the Gay Street area

Aaron with his Eggnog Cupcake

Here are some pros that we (really, a lot of these are my pros...) thought really stood out about the surgical residency program and the city itself:

PROS:

• The department is a hybrid university-affiliated, community-based. Since the attendings are private-practice physicians, it seems like the residents are able to participate in more team-building functions.
• Many of the residents are Christians
• Aaron and I get along well with the residents
• The community seems very family oriented
• UT Knoxville has an MPH in Epidemiology degree (just in case I go back to graduate school)
• There is a large forensic lab in the UT hospital (potential job opportunity for me?)
• All of the residents get either the week of Christmas or the week of New Year's off
• They seem to really like Aaron, who's reputation proceeds him
• Approximately half of the residents are married, and they have an incredible spouses auxiliary group
• The cost of living in Knoxville is affordable and most residents own a house close to the hospital
• Knoxville is home to Boomsday, the largest Labor Day fireworks show in the nation (okay...so not really a pro for the residency, but it would be so fun to go see it)

There are many many more pros, but I can't take the time to list them all here. Believe me when I say that we will have to take all of the pros and cons from every program and discuss them over an excellent fondue dinner, next to a very large dry-erase board that is reserved for big decision making. :)

UT Knoxville's Medical Center

The beautiful drive home...I could get used to this! :)

Love,

Anna

140 days until GRADUATION!

Merry Christmas!

When Aaron and I got married, we started a Christmas letter tradition (that was absolutely a consequence of too much free time while my med-school husband studied). This year, we published and mailed Volume 3 of the "Merriest Newspaper in the South" and are excited to now be able to share it with our blog readers! We hope you enjoy it! MERRY CHRISTMAS to all! :)

A Surgeon for a Husband...

Almost!

Aaron got these pictures from a student that he rotated with during his away rotation at Emory University. I knew that my husband would make a great surgeon, but I never knew he looked like a great surgeon! :) Of course, I'm not biased at all...

I'm so proud of you, Aaron!

Thanksgiving

So, I know its well past Thanksgiving, but I am thankful for...

my wonderful husband; the wonderful companion we have in Cooper; for God's provision in our lives, especially financial provision, and that He has a plan for our future; my incredible family; the incredible new family I gained when I married Aaron; the community of people we have here in Augusta who have become our family; and oh, so much more! Thank you, Lord, for all your blessings!

Anna's family (minus the grandpup) in front of the new house!

Medical College of Georgia

Now its time to get really really caught up. :) We are well on our way into Interview Season as we prepare for Aaron's next phase of his medical career: a Surgical Residency! The first interview was here at MCG on Nov 22nd, and despite it being a very serious contender as we decide our preferences of where we would like to go, it was nice to ease into these interviews at an institute that we are already familiar with. It certainly takes some of the pressure off when you already know your way around the campus, you already know the surgeons that are doing the interviewing, etc.

The night before Interview-Day, we met with the residents, attendings, and their spouses at the Partridge Inn (literally a block away from our house) for a meet-and-greet dinner. It was so much fun to meet the people that Aaron had worked with during the last couple of years of medical school and talk to the spouses about what life is like being married to a surgeon. I loved it! There were about 15 other interviewees in attendance, most of which had never been to Augusta, and Aaron and I were able to talk a lot about how much we have enjoyed living here. :)

My incredible soon-to-be-surgeon off to his interview at MCG!

The day of, Aaron interviewed with 4 attendings, ate lunch with the residents, and skipped the tour of the hospital (a building that I am sure he by now knows like the back of his hand). He came home completely encouraged by the supportive things that they had to say during his interviews! MCG has set the bar to compare all other interviews to as we begin to make some important decisions!

More to come as we continue interviewing at other places!

Love,

Anna