Thursday, March 08, 2007

Handwriting on the Wall

It's there, and some of it is clear, but I can't quite read all of it.

I'm taking my prerequisites for the Allied Health program I want to start, which I plan to do after my mom and I finish touring the country in her motorhome. One of the prerequisites is a half-unit class that consists of showing up and listening to presentations about each of the Allied Health programs the school offers. There's no other homework besides sitting in your assigned seat by the time they take attendance. At the end of the class, they'll let us apply for the program we want.

I want Diagnostic Medical Sonography (Ultrasound). It's the most interesting to me, because it would let me do prenatal ultrasounds. Plus, it pays the best starting salary out of all the Allied Health programs. But because of that fun work and high pay combination, the waiting list to get in (if you have all your prerequisites finished) is 3 - 4 years. And then the program itself is two years. I just can't bring myself to wait that long before I start living like a grownup again.

The medical procedure that really rang my chimes when I was getting my Psychology degree was PET scans, where they inject radioactive sugars into you and then track where in the brain the sugar goes as you do or think things. That's Nuclear Medicine, and they teach it at Loma Linda (translation: expensive), but only if you've already finished Ultrasound or Radiation Technology training (Rad Tech is the other program with a 3 - 4 year wait).

So that's the handwriting on the wall: If I want to get into a medical field soon, it won't be in Ultrasound.

I'm disappointed. And frustrated. And I wish I could read the part where it tells me what to do instead.

2 comments:

Christina said...

Wow, I wish I had some words of wisdom here, but Andrew and I are in virtually the same place right now. Sometimes the writing on the wall is there, it just seems to be in some foreign language or better yet, only a partial message that goes something like this, "It's time to change jobs...now folks, stayed tuned for the rest of the story..."

Waiting and wondering and trusting are hard. Just know that you aren't alone and God is still listening...and speaking.

SkyePuppy said...

Christina,

Psalm 27:14 is just right for our situations:

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

God never has to tell us to do the easy stuff, like be sure to eat your dessert. But He repeats Himself when it's something that's hard for us--like waiting.

Last night I asked Him which medical program He wants to use for making divine appointments for me (as though that might encourage Him to answer me more clearly than, "What am I supposed to do?"). But He let me know that He will schedule appointments for me no matter which one I choose. So I'm still going to have to decide for myself.

I'm still praying for you and Andrew, as you come to mind.

Thanks.