"Turn 180 degrees and step forward"

In 1968, Doug Tompkins, founder of The North Face, and Yvon Chouinard, a fellow outdoor enthusiast, attempted a climb of Patagonia's Corcovado Volcano.  In 2010, fellow enthusiast Jeff Johnson attempted a recreation of the journey.  When, at the end of his journey across continents, he had to stop and turn around with only 200 feet between him and the summit due to the unsafe condition of the rock face, some might think that he failed.  However, a quote from Tompkins might more aptly describe his predicament and subsequent decision.  Tompkins is quoted as saying, "People say you can't go back, but what happens if you get to the cliff and you take one step forward.  Or you [can] turn 180 degrees and take one step forward.  ...Which is progress?"

Claire and I have decided to take a step forward while at the same time turning 180 degrees.  The semester before I became involved with the Certificate program in Napa, and now, throughout this program, I've had the thought, "Man, there need to be more pediatricians and psychiatrists that are developmentally informed on kids."  Strange thought, I know.  Welcome to the inner workings of my brain.  Many of these times, I also thought how neat it would be to be one of these informed people myself.  The thought never traveled far, however, due to the fact that I'd already completed 3 1/2 years of a Psychology Baccalaureate degree, which includes few, if any, of the prerequisites for medical school.  Due to this fact, I never really considered either of these possibilities seriously.  I've thought, though, that these are really the people on the front lines of child health, both physical and mental.  I mean, nobody, when they're having problems with their child, takes them directly to an Occupational Therapist for sensory processing issues, or a developmental therapist to work on their relationship with the child.  They set an appointment with Doc, or, if things are serious enough and behaviorally based, a psychiatrist.

When I heard the quote mentioned above, I seriously reconsidered my career decisions via the degree options open to me.  I hadn't seriously considered anything medical, because I didn't want to go back and start over on a 4-year degree.  I realized that, yes, I had gotten my BS degree (no jokes, please) in 4 years, but what did that matter, if, as a result of holding myself to that, I couldn't do all that I wanted to in terms of helping children and families?  That's the position I found myself in.

So, as it stands now, here's the plan:  provided that I get accepted for the Fall, Claire, Louise and I will be heading to Chicago for a two year Master's program in Child Development.  Immediately after that, I'll need to jump back into undergrad classes, taking the chemistry, physics, and biology classes that I never took in college.  As soon as I finish those prerequisites, we'll be applying to med school, goodness-only-knows where.  For my residency, I'm looking into something referred to as "Triple-Boarding".  It's a residency that takes place at only a few locations around the US, taking place over the course of five years, that culminates in the resident being qualified to sit for the board exams in pediatrics, psychiatry, and child psychiatry, all three.  This prospect fills me with so much excitement and enthusiasm, I think I scare people with it.  The idea of being trained and qualified to take into consideration the physical, mental, and relational state of children in prescribing treatment is absolutely astounding.

So, although this tacks about 10 years onto the totality of my schooling and training, I'm totally looking forward to it.  Claire, like the incredible, supportive, indulgent, and loving woman that she is, is in it for the long haul with me.

That being said, here's to being able to turn 180 degrees and take a step forward.