My first semester in Grad School

It's almost over. I have a few assignments a few assignments to complete and then I'm done. Two classes down, 14 to go!!! See me learnin...

This semester was not as hard as I was expecting it to be. It was a lot of work. I wrote 16 papers in the last 16 weeks. I think that may be the same amount that I wrote in all of undergraduate school. I think it was not so hard because these first two classes were more general studies in health care. Next semester is Research Methods and Quantitative Analysis (which will be a lot of statistics) and Health Economics. While I have never been very good at Econ, I really am interested in this class. God knows I didn't learn much in my undergrad Econ class. My teacher was a mess and he was confusing and unfocused. However I really would like to know exactly HOW we can get out of this health care mess we are in.

I would like to understand exactly how the cost of health care goes up- when Insurance Companies and the Federal Government have fixed/contracted rates and the uninsured often don't pay at all. I mean technically I can CHARGE whatever I want to for services, but if I have a contract that says that 75% of my payors are only going to pay X dollars... you see where I'm going with this.

I'm struggling with my career choice though- because while clinical people make the bigger dollars- administrators are not always so lucky. Right now I consider myself VERY lucky to have a job. Neurology is sexy right now- I believe the Hand Clinic was completely dissolved.

Hopefully I have made the right decision by staying in Health Care and not making the jump to public health. I have a little more passion for that- but this is a path of lesser resistance. That's my style, you know??

I think I will complete this semester with an A and B. I am very close to an A in this second class, but I think even with my best efforts, I will be just shy of that 90% . It's worth it- it was a hell of a New York trip.