The Hazard Chronicles

Well, here we are on New Year's Day. A lot has happened in the last year. Here's a quick run-down:

January: Rachel got NIC certified- a HUGE step in her professional growth.
February: Evelyn turned three. I studied all month and then took the written board exam to get my license.
March: I took my clinical board exam. I flew to Idaho to interview for jobs. My mom found out that she had cancer, went in for surgery, and beat it.
April: I was hired for my first real job as a real dentist- although I still won't start for a few months. We begin to pack up our house for the move.
May: I graduated from dental school- a HUGE step in my professional growth. We moved to Idaho. We visited family in Utah. Rachel had her birthday.
June: We continued to visit family in Utah and in Idaho. We found out that Rachel is pregnant with our fourth child. We took a week-long vaction to Mexico.
July: We stopped visiting family and actually moved into our new rental home in Post Falls. I got my dental license and started my new job. We had a blast exploring our new surroundings in Northern Idaho and instantly fell in love with the place.
August: Continued exploration of our new stomping grounds. We purchased our first house (our dream home). I had my birthday. Family came up to visit us.
September: Addy and Jack turned two- Mom and Dad are terrified. We drove to Salt Lake to attend Shannon's wedding.
October: We spent time with family and friends in Utah. I placed my first implant (a dental thing). We had an awesome Halloween. I made a trip to Vegas to get more dental training and to visit extended family.
November: We finally moved into our new house. We spent most of the month trying to organize all of our "stuff." We had Rachel's family up for Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time with them. I also got a new job that I will start in January.
December: We went to visit my famly for Christmas and had a great time. I came home from this vacation and quit my job.

It's been a crazy year. Life is busy. Life is good.

Now, for those who read this blog regularly, the events of December may come as a total surprise- so, let's go back and fill in some of the details. First I'll describe our amazing Christmas vacation, and then I will elaborate on the job thing.

For Christmas, I worked a short day on Friday and as soon as I got home we threw the kids in the car and started driving to Rexburg. I nearly froze to death after realizing that, when driving in a car for seven hours in the middle of winter, it IS a big deal when the passenger side heater vents are stuck on A/C. I finally got smart and covered the vents with duct tape- but now our car looks a little trashy. At least I'm here to tell about it though.

Anyway, we had a great time with my family. Griffin and Ashland came up from Oklahoma for the hollidays and it was good to see them and their cute little girl, Zoey. Christmas morning was fun with the kids, who have reached the age where they can actually appreciate it. Also, on Christmas Eve, we had to teach Evelyn about Santa Claus. Somehow, in the middle of all the the chaos, and in our desperate attempts to focus on the religious aspects of the season, we forgot to tell her what the fat guy in the funny costume really does. She could, however, tell you every little detail of the Nativity story. I don't know whether I should feel proud about this or if I should feel like a failure. I'll opt for the former.

On the day after Christmas, most of us piled into the car and drove up to Harriman State Park. My mom and Allison graciously volunteered to stay at home with all the kids. It has been tradition every year to spend a day cross-country skiing at Harriman. This year we took tradition a step further though, and instead of just spending an afternoon, we actually rented a yurt and stayed the night. It was fun to ski into the cozy little hut, and then to use that as a home-base as we explored other areas. It was fun to stay up late (at least it seemed late) playing cards and talking with family in such an intimate and fun setting. It was a fun trip, and although it didn't last long, I think that the memories will trancend the tests of time. That was me, trying to wax poetic. But it's also true.

Okay, now for an explanation of the job thing. First, let's go back a few months. If you have been paying attention to this blog, then you will have noticed every once in a while that I will make a reference to my job. Here are these references, compiled in chronological order, for your viewing pleasure:

July 10: "Actually, I don't think things could get any better. Things are perfect. Perfect job, perfect house, perfect location..."
July 17: "As good as things are, there are still some parts of my job that come with a bit of stress. Most of these come from my obvious youth and inexperiance in 'real world dentistry.' ... after a few weeks I will fit very nicely into the way the practice works."
July 31: "Some people have been asking me how things are going at work. And I have responded that I am learning a lot in a very short period of time."
August 28: "This week can be summed up in two words: FUN and STRESSFUL. As for that last word, we'll just pretend it's not there. We'll get to that some other time."
October 3: "On Monday I flew back to Post Falls so I could work during the week. That’s a whole other story that I won’t write about here."
November 24: " Work has been interesting...more on that later."


Seen all together, these references tell a story. Here, I will fill in the details of that story.

I realized pretty quickly after I started working that things weren't quite what I was expecting. Just to put the comments in context- my official start date for my job was July 13th. It became apparant very quickly that this office practiced dentistry a lot differently than the way I had been taught in dental school. At first this didn't really bother me too much, as I was expecting it to be that way. After all, dentistry is a business and the doctors have to turn a profit in order to stay open. But the more I learned about the practice I was working in, and the more I spoke with other doctors, the more convinced I became, to my utmost relief, that I didn't have to be operating under these philosophies to make money.

Basically, I reached a point relatively early on where I knew that I didn't fit into the practice. Without being too negative, lets just say that I felt like the ethics of the practice, and of the owner in particular, were in need of some serious reform. Also, I question the legality of some of the things that went on, and I was guinely concerned that if the practice ever came under scrutiny that I would be implicated. That, obviously, would be less than ideal for my future plans.

Add to that the fact that I am pretty firm in my own beliefs and ethics, and I drew a disheartening conclusion. If I didn't find another job then the result of my continued employment could only mean one of three things: I would either be forced to compromise my own standards, work would continue to become more and more stressful as the tenuous relationship between myself and the practice owner ate away at itself, thus overshadowing the joy I found in the actual dentistry part of my job, or they would be forced to fire me. I didn't like any of these outcomes, so I started looking for another place in the area where I could work.

I had several opportunities- but none of them seemed right for me. See, for the most part I still loved my job. I loved interacting with my patients and I really loved doing the dentistry. I could truly say that I enjoyed going to work everyday, especially knowing that I was not in a permanent situation with the office policies. So I didn't feel like I had to take the first thing that came along. I looked at some other employment possibilities, and I even considered buying a practice for myself. In the end though, nothing seemed to be right. And that was fine. There is a lot of truth in the saying that the best time to look for a job is while you've already got one. I could afford to be patient. And then I saw the ad for an office in Coeur d'Alene that was looking for a new associate and I gave them a call.

This practice was amazing. The owner is one of the best dentists in the state of Idaho (as least if you are going by credentials) and his practice shows it. They have all the latest technologies and are doing all the coolest stuff. Somehow, I'm guessing through a long process of hard work, trial and error, quality education, and pure luck, this practiced had figured out how to thrive doing dentistry exactly the way I could see myself doing it 5-10 years down the road. They had it all together, and it just "worked." And so I said "yes."

I am excited to work at this new place. I am excited to see what it is about their practice model that works so well. I am excited to push myself clinically to do more advanced procedures. I am excited about the mentoring that I will receive, and I am anticipating that I will learn a lot here that will have a very positive influence on my entire career. I am excited for the interaction I will have with other doctors who are at the top of their field, and to draw from their years of experiance in building myself into the best doctor I can be. I am excited for the emphasis on quality dentistry and predictable, well thought-out treatment planning. I am excited for where this new job might take me.

So on the last day of the year that we were open (Friday), I walked into work and told them I was leaving. It seems fitting, to have this happen at the end of the year- like it's all tied up in a nice little package or something (it also makes it easier for tax purposes). Next year marks the start of a new adventure (with my job, at least), and while I am a little bit anxious, I am mostly just looking forward for what new opportunities might come my way because of this move. Tomorrow is my first day at this new job. Wish me luck!

Here are a bunch of pictures of our Christmas Vacation.

Sledding:

Yoga:

Christmas Morning:

Skiing:

 Yurting:

Happy New Year Everyone!