Saturday, January 31, 2009

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Today is my LITTLE brother's birthday :) I say little, but he is beginning to tower above me more everyday. We are having a party for him, along side the Super bowl, so today I am trying to cook all his favorite things, pretty much anything with bacon, cheese, chips & salt! I am going to make him some special cupcakes too. I will try to get some pictures of them.

This is Jeff in 2007 at Ashley's graduation party. He loves my Oliver Peoples Suns...And this is just this past Christmas. Like I said, he is getting pretty tall! And no the angel is not on his head, but on the tree :)Happy Birthday buddy! I hope you like your gift I got you. I have a feeling you will :)

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Snow/Ice Day!

I have one of the best preceptors ever! It was snowy & icy this morning when I woke up and she told me not to come in b/c it would be too dangerous. So what am I doing instead, wasting time on my computer :) What else! I found this great site from Tami and have been playing around with it. Check out what I have made!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Today is my beautiful Grandma's birthday. She of course does not "do the internet" but I wanted to make sure everyone knows it is her day. This is a picture of her, my siblings, and 2 of the 3 double cousins.

I love this picture, love the candid, and I can totally hear Shannon laughing. Of course Jeff is the last one to get there and Josh apparently knew our mom would be shutter happy.
And the bottom picture is so sweet, one I will cherish forever. I love you Grandma!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Just a little happy, for me mainly :)




Monday, January 19, 2009

What a relief!

Yesterday I got some VERY good news, I passed part 2 of National boards, with flying colors! It has been about 6 weeks since I took the test and I nearly could not compose myself trying to log in to see my score. It is a huge relief to know this test is all behind me and I don't have to worry about it again. Two of the major reasons for wanting to pass is: 1) I don't have to take it again b/c it sucks and 2) it costs $625 each time to take it! And there are 4 tests total!!

Those I have talked to are very confused about all these tests, so I am going to try to explain them as best as I can.

Part 1 - I took back in the summer of 2007, end of second year. This test is also called Basic Science Exam and it consisted of 435 multiple-choice items administered across three 3.75-hour sessions that tested knowledge on just that, basic science concepts (Human Biology, Ocular/Visual Biology, Optics, and Psychology). Basically all the material we were tested on we had learned in the first 2 years of optometry school, so it was a LOT of material to remember, most of which isn't typically stuff an optometrist uses on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. I think this was the hardest one b/c of the vast amount of material to look at.

Part 2 - Clinical Science, consists of 435 multiple-choice items administered across three 3.75-hour sessions. This part focuses on the application of the knowledge of Basic Science to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of clinical conditions that relate to optometric practice (Systemic conditions, Ocular Disease/Trauma, Refractive/Oculormotor/Sensory Integrative conditions, Perceptual conditions, Public health, Legal and Ethical Issues). It also includes a scoring component on the Treatment and Management of Ocular Disease (TMOD) exam, an embedded component in the Ocular Disease/Trauma section. The resultant score is equivalent to that of the stand-alone TMOD examination. So we did not just have to pass 1 test but actually a test within a test. :)

Part 3 - Patient Care assesses the ability to examine actual patients, evaluate clinical data, and render patient care decisions. This multifaceted examination consists of two administratively distinct components and formats: the 4-station Clinical Skills Examination (CSE) and the written Patient Assessment and Management (PAM) Examination. CSE accounts for 60% of the Part III score, and PAM accounts for 40%. I am taking these in April.

In CSE, the candidate examines a different patient at each of four 30-minute stations, in the performance of 19 clinical skills. Although this examination primarily measures psychomotor skills, it contains an assessment of affective (i.e., clinical habits and attitudes) and communication skills, as well as some interpretation of clinical findings. CSE is administered in one 3.5 hour session.

The PAM examination consists of 40 simulated patient cases, each of which begins with a scenario and includes 3-4 multiple-choice items. Each multiple-choice item, which may contain as many as 10 options, focuses on assessment and management of patient data. Candidates are evaluated for their abilities in diagnosis, interpretation and correlation of clinical data, treatment, follow-up, prognosis, and patient education.


I hope this clears some things up a bit. Yes the testing is very extensive and you would think this would be sufficient enough, but I also have to take individual STATE boards after graduation b/c each state has different rules and regulations for optometry... Something the legislators are trying to make equal bw all states but has not happened yet.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Happy 1st Birthday Barrett!

Today is Barrett's first birthday! Happy birthday little one. He is Laura's baby boy and near and dear to my heart. The first boy of all my friends, so he will have many girls to choose from :) I got to go to his birthday party yesterday, so much fun! Have a wonderful day today Barrett. Love you!


Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Happy Birthday Erin!

It is Erin's birthday today. I honestly don't know what year it is but I do know that the little hooker is younger than me! I hope you have a great one girl and have a good day at the VA with little thought process involved.


Monday, January 12, 2009

Parmesan Pork Chops

This is a recipe my mom made a few weeks ago. We used chicken instead of pork chops, which was more tender than pork chops. I think they are be equally delicious.

Parmesan Pork Chops
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
6 trimmed boneless pork chops (about 1 inch thick), if you use chicken you may want to pound the breast so it is all a uniform thickness
Olive oil
Butter
Seasoned salt
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Mix bread crumbs, cheese & seasoning together in a large bowl. Dip pork chops in olive oil, then in bread crumb mixture.

Place pork chops on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with butter & sprinkle with seasoned salt.

Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. If you make with chicken, you may want to decrease your cook time.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

What were you doing in 1990?

I love me some SNL & NPH!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Alive!

It has been a few days since I last blogged. Just wanted you all to know that I am alive, just tired. I have not gotten used to the early wake up call yet but I know I will in due time. I have really enjoyed the VA thus far. I got to see my first 3 patients all by myself today :) My preceptor is awesome and it is so nice to have a buddy with me from school. I am pretty excited about Thursday b/c today I went out and bought some scrubs, yeap that is right, we can wear scrubs and tennis shoes! I didn't think I would but after getting up today the thought of putting them on instead of my clinic attire and heals sounded pretty good. I hope to blog a bit more this weekend when I have more time. Until then, take care!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Where I will be

Monday I will start my 3rd and last rotation of my academic career at the Robert J. Dole VAMC. I have been waiting years to be able to finally say that! I will post on how it all goes, I am sure it will be rough at first but I will love it. I just hope I can sleep tonight! Wish me luck :)

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Goodbye 2008, hello 2009!

2008 has been a good year. Here are some reasons why:

  • Babies - I have been blessed with many babies being born, luckily none were mine, and I have especially enjoyed getting to see them grow up through pictures and visits.
  • The beach - I lived with Tami & Carl in Hermosa Beach during the summer, and loved every minute of it.
  • Resolutions - I actually kept my NY resolution last year, to run a 5k.
  • lbs - I have successfully lost a few lbs and have kept them off, partly thanks to the 5k.
  • SCO - I finished my last day of working at SCO ever.

Here are some reasons why 2009 is going to be an amazing year!

  • Closer to home - I am living in Winfield until May so I will be able to spend more time with my family and friends that live in KS that I have missed so dearly.
  • Graduation - I will be graduating May 1, 2009. If you scroll down the page you will see exactly how many days that is from right now!
  • Job - I will finally be out of school and getting an actually job, one that pays!
  • More babies - They just keep coming and I love it!

There are many more reasons I am sure that 2009 is going to kick bootie. I hope that everyone had a safe and happy new years. I spent my NYE in Manhattan at The Little Apple New Years Eve Ball Drop with my friends Barry & Dina. I will post pictures later so stay tuned!

Happy New Year!!