A little about Duke...

So, here's my first post, and I think I'll tell you a little about the school that we've moved across the country to attend. I am here to receive my Masters of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS). I chose Duke because it is one of the top programs in the nation and is actually where the PA profession began. The concept of a PA was created by Dr. Eugene Stead, who was chairman of the Duke Dept. of Medicine during the 1960s. He thought that by producing more "mid-level medical practioners," people would have greater access to healthcare and doctors would have more time to deal with more complex cases. When I'm finished with my degree in 2 years, I will be able to work in any medical specialty, take patient histories, do physical exams, order tests, write prescriptions, and develop treatment plans with my patients. I am excited by the flexibility that is available to PAs because I will not be confined to any particular area of medicine and I will have more time to spend with my patients. So, yay! I start orientation on Monday the 18th, and I think classes begin the 20th. I'm scared but really excited to be busy again and start filling my brain with interesting stuff.

Charlie and I decided that it would be a good idea to go on a tour of campus just so we had some idea of where things were and we thought it would be interesting. The info. session and tour we went on were meant for high schoolers who were trying to figure out where to apply for their undergrad degrees, so we were a lot more engaged in the tour than the others because Duke was already "our school." We got to see the chapel and a bunch of buildings that I'll never go inside again (because all of my classes are all in the same building), but it was fun anyway. The take home message was basically that Duke has a crap-load of money to spend, so the buildings are all gorgeous, and they will give you money (as an undergrad anyway) to do pretty much anything you convince them will advance science or aid society in some way. Apparently you can make some sweet money making tobacco products. Right in front of the chapel is a statue of James Duke (Duke is named in honor of his father Washington Duke), which we were told is one of the only statues in the world that shows a person smoking a cigar (WOW!)

Today the temp was in the low 80s, which is about 15 degrees cooler than it has been, so we decided it would be a good idea to go to the Duke Gardens again, and this time we brought our camera! We didn't stay as long this time because we had already been there several times (and Charlie's tummy was rumbling), but we took pictures of most of the things we had seen in the past that we thought were cool. I don't have too much to say except the gardens are beautiful and the pictures will speak for themselves. I'll make another post soon about the weekend trip we took to visit my friend Danielle in Virginia, but I'm still waiting on a few pics. I miss and love all of you! Thanks for reading.

Duke Chapel














Fountain at the entrance to the Duke Gardens














Flower we decided looked like a shower head














"The Terrace" at the Duke Gardens














Gazebo at Duke Gardens (top is completely covered by tree branches)














One of the trees growing on the gazebo



















Crazy Lily Pads at the Gardens














Duck Pond at the Gardens (we saw some huge turtles fighting here when we were with our parents)














Plaque on the side of an old Liggett-Myers building (Go big tobacco!)