Update

Failed the CAMRT exam by 8 questions.

Trying again in January. Taking an online course geared toward "internationally-educated" techs in the meantime.

Working my butt off. Still have not received my 90-day OR 1-year evaluations. Been here 16 months as of 9/19.

CAMRT Exam Completed!

Well, we made it back safely from the wilds of Vancouver BC. The CAMRT exam went well, I think...I should know whether I passed sometime between June 2nd-16th. I don't want to be TOO confident about how I think I did...I thought it was pretty easy, but usually when I think tests are "easy" I end up failing them miserably, although this exam is a test on what brand-new graduates are expected to know, and I've been a tech for going on 3 years now and actually TAUGHT this stuff last year so I SHOULD know what I'm doing, right? It was remarkably similar to the ARRT exam except there weren't as many math questions, but it had a lot of pathology questions asking about what I saw on various radiographs...we aren't allowed to diagnose although we should recognize the appearance of certain conditions. There's no standard pass/fail percentage mark either like on the ARRT (theirs is 75%), it's adjusted based on the number of people who get a particular question correct. AUGH. I'm going to be SO upset if I don't pass...I'd have to pay another $800 CAD to write the exam again in September.

I don't know if I can stand the wait! The suspense is nerve-wracking!

On a related note, I applied for an x-ray position at BC Children's Hospital and a CT position at the BC Cancer Agency. Wonder if I'll hear back from them.

GRRRR....

Paul and I each had to go to the ER for different reasons earlier this year, and of course we can't afford to pay the $600 in medical bills, so I applied for financial assistance through the hospital. They made me send in our tax returns, my pay stubs, and Paul's financial aid award letter. I got their determination letter yesterday. It appears that, despite the fact that I 'm the only person working and don't even get regular hours, they think I have enough money to pay 60% of this bill. Uh, news flash, dipshits: if I'm applying for financial assistance, it means I can't afford to pay ANYTHING, not "Oh, I can barely keep a roof over our heads, but SURE, $350 is mere pocket change." $350 is just as impossible for me to pay as $600. Assholes.

...And I WORK for this organization.

OMG SQUEE!

I just got off the phone with the certification coordinator at CAMRT.

My application was accepted and I am sitting for the exam on May 19th!

She also said the exam is pretty much the same one as the ARRT, and I passed that with an 88%.

Also, I got an interview at that hospital! We're driving up to Vancouver BC Sunday afternoon, doing touristy crap on Monday, and my interview is on Tuesday at 0930. We're heading back sometime after I've finished with that. I really hope we can figure out a way to get everything in place so we can get up there ASAP.

OMG CANADA!

I've been communicating regularly with the department manager at a hospital outside Vancouver BC.

I got an email from her today. She wants to interview me in the next couple weeks, so that when I pass the CAMRT exam in May, everything will be in place for me to start working ASAP!

This is rather convenient, since Paul will be on Spring Break, and I'll be off from the 22nd-27th.

Job Hunting

So, that full-time CT position I applied for at that other hospital? LOL, there's NO way I'm gonna get that job. I got an email from the hiring manager the other day: 23 people had applied for that job, and more were applying daily.

I'm done applying for jobs for the time being. I've got other things to concentrate on, now that I'm getting CT training.

Awesomeness

I did a CT scan tonight on a kid with abdomen pain, which was positive for appendicitis. There must be something in the water; this is the second appy this week for me! Of course, in the medical field, we get things in clusters. Like, one week it was old ladies who had fallen and broken their hips, and another week was people with renal cysts. Pretty weird, huh?