Let's Get This Started...

I've wanted to be a doctor since I was about 7. That was how old I was when I found out that vets (my previous life's calling) had to put animals to sleep. That's all it took. I was going to be a doctor.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't grow out of it. With the exception of a brief period when I decided that I was going to be a dancer on Solid Gold (fortunately for the rest of the world, I DID grow out of that one), I never wavered. But boy, did I take a helluva long path to get there. My first undergraduate degree was in Exercise Science, with a specialization in Athletic Therapy. I applied to medical school in my last year, but with my 3.5 GPA I didn't even score an interview. My plan B didn't work out either. Did you know that in order to become certified as an Athletic Therapist in Canada you have to volunteer for 1600 hours? Who the hell can afford that? I figured I'd work as a personal trainer for awhile first. Instead, I ended up following a guy to a new town, where I ended up working at a staffing agency. Whatever, it paid the rent. And not much else. It didn't take me long to realize that the 9-5 thing wasn't going to work for me. I hated every minute.

So the next step was a master's degree. People convinced me that it would help get me into medical school. Not so much. And I hated it. I hated research, I didn't like the politics, and the subject matter (Clinical Epidemiology) was far from thrilling. So again, two more years had gone by and I was no closer to being a doctor, now had student loans to pay back and didn't much relish the kind of work I was now qualified to do. If any of you out there are thinking of doing a master's solely to get into medical school... don't. Really.

Since I had nothing better to do, I followed my then-significant-other of 3 years to yet another city where he was starting his PhD in History. I decided to start taking some classes while I was there to jump-start the 3.5 GPA that was apparently still keeping me from getting past the admissions committee. The department I was taking classes in told me that they'd give me a whole other degree in just two years if I stayed on. So I did. I worked, studied, and did pretty much nothing else for two years. I didn't know anyone in the city anyway. So by the time I left, I had a B.Sc., an M.Sc., a B.A.... and a letter of acceptance to three different medical schools.

And that's how it all began.