I finally scraped together enough money to take part of the RRT exam--the written part--and passed! I'm not allowed to give examples or anything, but I can say that I thought I did horrible. I felt like there were just tons of questions about my weak areas. I went back and looked at probably 20 or 25 questions and ended up changing 8-10 answers, but it worked out. I used all but the last 3 minutes of the time I was given. Usually if I walk out of an exam feeling like I failed, I end up doing well. It's really scary when I think I did well, because I usually don't end up doing as well as I thought. I was the only one there this morning in the testing center, so I was able to really concentrate without all the extra background noise. I was thinking of taking the Clinical Simulation portion next week if my next paycheck looks like it'll be big enough. I was able to work extra hours for a change at the store. So yeah...I'm going to end up spending nearly $400 dollars on both parts of the RRT exam, and hopefully I pass the ClinSim on my first try. I just barely managed to pass the one we had to take as an exit exam from our program, and I was one of just two in the class that passed it.
I'm super motivated to pass it, though. The hospital in the town I grew up in has 2 job openings for RRTs and I want one of them, even if it's just contingent. I'll do weekend midnight shifts without a complaint. It's a better job than the store, I'll gain some experience, and I'm hoping it'll be a job I look forward to going to. Best of all, that hospital is making some huge improvements lately and it'd be great to be a part of that. Moreover, it's the perfect size for me. I know everyone says to start somewhere big and practice the skills, but when I look back at my clinical rotations, I liked the smaller hospitals a lot more. I just feel more comfortable in them and I feel like I did better than I did in a large one.
In other news, I fully intend to apply for the JET Program for next year, which would let me teach English in Japan. I'll also be applying for a couple of Eikawa (English language schools) called AEON and ECC. I figure it's free to apply and I'm not obligated to go if I get an offer. I'd be thrilled if they found me to be good enough to do the job, but at the same time if I end up loving the job I have here or am involved in a serious relationship I wouldn't mind staying in the States. It's worth a shot to see what happens. I don't know what my life will be like next spring/summer so, as the saying goes, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
I have been studying Japanese like crazy lately, with the exception of the last week and a half (when I was studying for my RRT). I feel like I've gained back about half of the knowledge I had, and even some new stuff I missed out on learning due to testing into an intermediate level. I didn't realize I didn't know it because it's stuff you don't use a lot, but still, I feel like I have a more complete background now. I'm at what would probably be considered an early intermediate level at the moment, and as soon as I'm done with my ClinSim exam I plan to start getting back into it.
