Friday, February 5, 2010

FINALLY! Some answers....

So it has been 13 weeks since my medical kit was received by the Peace Corps Medical office in DC. 13 weeks --- that's roughly 67 business days. 67! I had not heard anything, didn't see an update stating my review had began, was repeatedly told that the process takes 8-12 weeks, even when I reached out at 12 and 13 weeks the same generic message was e-mailed back to me.


Finally I went on a phone call/e-mail rampage. I e-mailed my recruiter in NY, my medical point of contact, my medical nurse (whose name I didn't find out until week 12), a separate nurse who apparently was covering my original nurse while he was on vacation, as well as the pre-serviceunit e-mail address. Finally after e-mailing the pre-service unit with a desperate e-mail, I got a phone call from a nurse in DC who was covering for my original nurse. God bless this alternate nurse. She let me know that my nurse was again out on vacation and that she will start my review when she gets off the phone. GREAT, it's about damn time...oi!

Then two hours later she calls back and says that everything looks fine except I need to get a TB questionnaire filled out by my doctor just to get some final details on my reaction. Then once I fax it back, I should be medically cleared. HALLELUJAH!!!!!

I was so happy to see that I had a toolkit update this morning I almost screamed in joy when I saw it on my blackberry as I rolled out of bed. So my plan is to go home, get the letter, make an appointment for my Doctor on monday, he fills out the last little form, I fax it back, and hopefully by Tuesday I will be medically cleared.

This has been the most frustrating and annoying process I have ever been through. When you first get the med packet they stress several times that they need you to fill everything out ASAP and get it back because that will give you the best chances at receiving your original nomination. Well what about when you do that, and then no one even looks at your file for 13 weeks???? Seriously, I am an overall very healthy guy, it's not like it can take that long to go through my file. Or if you're swamped with people that are scheduled to leave before me at least let me know that you will get around to it soon. Leaving someone in the dark for 9 weeks, then not giving any real answers for the next 4 weeks, was really difficult. I think what made this whole thing a lot more frustrating is being able to read all of the blogs of you other wonderful applicants... I think for my sanity, I shouldn't have been checking everyone's blogs so often. Then I wouldn't have known that others were getting through medical clearance in 5-6 weeks, I wouldn't have known that people with the same departure date were getting through, or that people with the same departure date - who sent their stuff in after me.... - were getting cleared. I would have been anxious, but at least I wouldn't have felt forgotten or shafted. I guess sometimes, ignorance really is bliss...

Anyway....just seeing that little update on my toolkit has washed away all the anger and frustration and I'm super excited all over again!!!!! Really us applicants are just ragdolls that the Peace Corps gets to throw around at their whim, sometimes lifting us up, sometimes letting us fall into the dark. But overall I think they really do care about us and appreciate our desire to help. I can't wait to see a "medical review complete" check on my toolkit (hopefully next week!)

Until then all, I'm going to go pop some bubble wrap or scream into a pillow to get rid of any last waves of the last 13 weeks haha...

A la prochaine!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congrats! Finally, I know you've been waiting forever :P

Erin L. said...

Keith - I'm sorry the medical clearance has been such a bear. I'm nominated for the same program and am waiting for legal clearance. It's difficult to draw any solid conclusions about how long all of this stuff takes; it seems to be completely different for everyone. I do know for sure that the six-week deadline for invitations is May 21st, so at least there's that! Bonne chance!

Keith said...

Thanks Erin! I'm trying my best to remind myself everyday that it is different for everyone and just go with the flow...although now that I'm waiting for the extra TB form (and it hasn't gotten here yet, thanks to the massive snowstorms here on the east coast) I'm getting antsy again! haha...