March 15. We received answers we were not fully expecting. We knew how difficult it was to get into Medical School, but you keep holding on to the possibility until you have received that letter of rejection. We finally received that dreaded letter. It was devastating and disappointing to say in the least. It was hard on us and just as hard on our family. We had come up with many "Plan B" options for this scenario. Me (Janell) being the planner had a few options. We kept on saying "things will be okay. God has a plan for us." Saying it and actually believing it were two different things. It was difficult to believe God had something better for us. We thought that school was where we needed to be after graduation. But God new better.
It took a good 2-3 weeks before we fully accepted the fact that we needed to come up with different life plans. At least for a year. We decided to just start applying for jobs anywhere and everywhere. If worst came to worst, I still had a job in Orange City and Ben could find something around the area to do for a year before reapplying for graduate school.
We tried to make connections with different friends and family to see what opportunities were out there. This was more for Ben than anyone else. It is important to "stay in" the medical field for a year if he wanted to pursue graduate school the following year. This proved to be a more difficult search that we had imagined. Let's just say that there are few opportunities where an unlicensed/uncertified person can work in the medical field. Sure, he could volunteer for a year and get good experience like he had done in previous summers. But there is just something about getting paid for your time and having a little spending money for a year. Nursing can be a very mobile profession, so we knew that me finding a job would not be as difficult as Ben finding one.
We found a connection through my cousin, Kristi. She had a physician friend who started a program/business called Scribe America. We perused the website and discovered it would be the PERFECT opportunity for Ben. A "scribe" works in Emergency Depts. alongside ER Physicians. They help physicians with dictation and putting in orders while the physicians are at the bedside assessing the patients. It allows for more patients to be seen during a shift. This is crucial since EDs have become overwhelmed with an increase in patients coming in to be seen. It is a paid position and would offer Ben with the medical exposure needed for the future. You sign a contract for working 1 year full time or 2 years part time. The 1 year, full time position would be perfect.
There are over 36 hospitals nationwide that have scribes working in the Emergency Dept. Most are located along the east coast and California, Texas, and Florida. So, living in Iowa, that means we will be moving this summer. Ben submitted his application and we waited about 2 1/2 weeks before we heard anything. We put our top choices of location as: Florida, California, and Texas. We are willing to move pretty much anywhere and are excited to see what opportunities God may have for us.
Meanwhile, I began applying for nursing positions in Orlando, Florida area. What could throwing in a few applications hurt?
Finally, Ben had received a message on this past Wednesday night to call back a Regional Manager for Scribe America. She had questions regarding his application and wanted to discuss a few things. We became excited to see that things may be working out with this job. He reached her after playing phone tag on Thursday (after I was at work). She offered him a guaranteed full time position with Scribe America starting May 20th. That is just over a month away! That means we could potentially be moving within the next month. The bad news: the position was not at one of our three top locations. The good news: it was in a location that was even bigger and better than we could have imagined. I will not say at this time where this job is as Ben needs to contact the regional manager sometime the beginning of next week to discuss details on the location and either accept or reject this position. If everything works out and the answers we receive are good, we will be moving soon. My parents will be pros at moving their children after this next month. They will be moving Kim and Brady G. to another apartment, Brady into a farm house after he graduates from high school, and probably us. :)
We just ask for prayers this weekend and the upcoming week as we have some big decisions to make. This opportunity we have been given could not have been possible without my cousin Kristi. She has been such a huge help these past few weeks with talking with her friend and getting Ben's name to him.
This ultimately an act of God. Looking back a month ago, we were devastated and didn't see how anything "good" could come from this. But God is "good" all the time. Everything He does is for our own good. We just need to try to LET GO, and LET GOD! (Easier said than done.) Then we will see HIS plan for us.
