Ped's Interviews - The Final Round

Well, the interview process is over and the waiting game begins. Dave had his final pediatric residency interview last week in Tampa. The program is actually a really good one. The residents float between All Children's Hospital in St. Pete and Tampa General Hospital in Tampa. This gives the residents the opportunity to see what happens in a children's hospital and a community hospital. I got the opportunity to go with Dave this time to the dinner the night before and meet some of the residents. They seem like a really great group of people, even though I only got to meet a few of them. They are happy and they like their job, but there is one major down fall. As a resident you work at two hospitals, which is a plus, but also a HUGE minus. The hospitals are 30 minutes apart without traffic. If you have ever been to Tampa, you know traffic is awful at rush hour. Dave started his interview at All Children's in St. Pete, which he enjoyed. Then, he got in the car with a resident to make the trip to Tampa General, which took ONE HOUR!! If you know Dave, you know he does not have patience when it comes to driving. I think he might drive himself absolutely in sane driving an hour in the car each day from one hospital to the next. And then, we would have to make the decision to live in St. Pete or South Tampa, which means depending on which hospital he starts his day at, he could have another drive ahead of him. For some of the residents, they enjoy the drive to take a break from the work, but Dave enjoys working with the people more than driving in his car. As it comes time to rank the programs, we are thinking we would like to stay in Gainesville. In comparison to all the programs, UF has more of what Dave is looking for and it provides a little bit of comfort knowing we already have a life here.

So now what? The waiting game begins! Dave ranks by February 25th and Match Day is March 19th. It will be exciting to walk across the stage, receive the envelope and announce where we will continue our life for the next 3 years. Yes, we are hoping to stay, but we are okay with wherever God wants to take us. After all, He can see the big picture when we cannot.