It has been some time since I have posted on this board although I continue to read with some regularity. Congratulations to all who have gained medical school admission and to Mary Renard on her graduation! Also, my best wishes to those presently working on their pre-med courses!
I’m very appreciative of this board because of the initial support offered to me, a very unrecent graduate of medical school who had experienced burn out. Just as helpful was the link to MomMD where I was able to encounter other women similarly discouraged with some of the realities of “real world” medical practice.
Anyway, an unexpected fellowship opportunity came up in Occupational Medicine. This program will also grant me an MPH upon completion. I applied last month and even though there are not even 2 months to the start date I am still under consideration. The program director had one of the fellows interview me and I doubt it was by coincidence that he chose the oldest member (age 50 or so) to speak with me! Ha ha!
Please cross your fingers or whatever for me that if this is meant to be for me, that I will be chosen. I am counting
on this program to open up some non-clinical options for me in public health. I somehow got the sense from the program director that he would have liked me to have had more recent academic contact but reluctantly indicated that exceptions are made.
Thank you, again, to everyone here for your support and please accept mine for you at whatever stage you are in your medical pursuits.
Best of luck to you! How did you arrive at Ocupational Medicine? Are you primarily interested strictly in public health? Did you consider MPH rather than fellowship?
Sorry about all the questions. Just interested.
Shirl
Hi there,
Occupational Medicine is a great opportunity. I think that you are going to have a great time with this fellowship. Good luck!
Natalie 
Crossing fingers here, sending out prayers and sending out good vibes for you 
Good luck! I hope you get the fellowship in occupational medicine. Please let us know what happens.
Love,
Stacy
Forgive my ignorance, but what is occupational medicine?
Cali, OH I hope this opportunity comes through for you. It sounds right up your alley and a great way for you to get back into things without risking a recurrence of burnout (I hope). Surely, surely they will see that you have a lot to offer this program. Crossing fingers and toes for you!
(and thanks for the congrats, I am sitting at home sort of stunned today, actually…)
Good luck, I hope you are chosen. it sounds like a great opportunity.
Seth
CaliMaa’m, I’m sending vibes out your way. As a public health person, I can tell you that I love my work and love the science of public health. Occupational Med will be interesting, fulfilling, and wonderful for you, I can just feel it! It’s so gratifying to think about prevention and assess clinical trials.
Best of luck…I’ll be thinking of you!
cheers,
Vera
THANK YOU, THANK YOU! for all the wonderful replies! I am truly grateful for the support here!
For those of you who asked, occupational and environmental medicine deals primarily with the identification, treatment, and prevention of occupationally and environmentally related diseases and conditions (such as pulmonary disease due to chemical or pesticide exposure; lead poisoning; occupationally related cancers; etc.). There are many avenues aside from simply being a practitioner at an occupational clinic treating injured workers. I am hoping to be able to serve in more of a consultant capacity to either business or public health entities identifying and correcting health risks. I chose to pursue this fellowship rather than a pure MPH program because it has some amount of associated clinical exposure that would be relevant to someone who has spent time in clinical practice.
Again, I am tremendously thankful for the support I’ve received here. In all honesty, I will be a bit worried returning to school - ie, taking exams, writing papers, etc. If I didn’t see other fellow “boomers” in here so successful with demanding coursework, I may not have considered a return to the classroom!
Cali, you’ll do great. Nice to find a new path ain’t it? It yields new adventures, as my wife calls them.