“No idea.”
Red flag,red flag.“Well, do you know why they want to work in an underserved area? And do they know anything about the Amish? Because cultural sensitivity is very important. The Amish don’t view health care in the same way that most Americans do.” She hoped Matt had added all that and more in the application. Probably not.
“How’s that? What do you mean?”
“Well, one example is that they don’t try to deny death is coming. They don’t fight beyond a body’s biological end.”
“Hmm, interesting. Well, honestly, I’m not sure what your two know or don’t know.” The sound of a phone rang in the distance. “I’ve got to go. Oh, before I forget, your residents are planning to arrive at the Lancaster train station tomorrow afternoon.”
“No car?”
“No car. You’ll need to arrange a pickup. And room. Not board.”
“Hold it! I have to find housing for them?!” Dok’s voice rose an octave.
“Just room. Not board. Part of the program. You’ll be reimbursed, of course. Best of luck to you! To all of you!” On that cheery note, Stella hung up.
Luck. Dok leaned back in her chair, holding the phone receiver. Luck? She didn’t believe in it. Hard work, determination, resiliency—those were her truths. Growing up Amish, she had seen luck as something devilish, like gambling.
She blew out a puff of air. She didn’t even know if these doctors were men or women. Both? How was she supposed to find housing when she didn’t even know their gender?
She looked out her window and saw her brother David driveby in his buggy. She let out a happy sigh. She didn’t need luck! Not when she had an Amish bishop for a brother.
David Stoltzfus had barely hitched the buggy reins to the post when his sister Ruth pounced on him. “Are you here as a sister or a doctor?” he asked, their usual greeting.
“Both,” she said, as always. And then she added something about new doctors showing up on her doorstep tomorrow, with only one day’s notice, and how she had no idea where to put them.
David squinted at her. “Put them?” he said, confused.
“House them,” Ruth said. “Apparently, I’m responsible for getting them housing.”
“Housing? For how long?”
Ruth shrugged. “I didn’t think to ask. This whole thing is Matt’s idea.” She launched into an overly detailed explanation of the Keystone Medical Residency & Service Program, of the applications sent in to Stella Penkowski, of the phone conversation she’d just had with this Stella woman. His sister grew increasingly exasperated as she described each step of the process. “And now I’m suddenly a supervisor to two first-year residents! They’re completely inexperienced. Just interns. And David ... they didn’t getmatched.”
He wasn’t entirely clear what that might indicate about these two residents, but from the look on her face, it was inauspicious. “And why are theretwodoctors coming?”
“Matt’s doing. He thinks it would take two doctors to replace me.”
Good thinking,Matt.Next time David saw his brother-in-law, he would have to remember to compliment him. “But ... you’re not retiring, right?”
“No. Absolutely not. Matt’s working on a retirement plan, but I’m not on board. He wants to work another two years topay off our house, take early retirement, and then he wants us to take some real vacations. All his idea. Not mine.” She shrugged, calmer now. “I mean, a real vacation does sound nice.” A look of longing came over her.
As David listened to his sister’s lengthy rant, it occurred to him how worn-out she looked. Her strawberry-red hair had more white than red in it. Dark circles rimmed her eyes. More wrinkles than he remembered lined her cheeks. He knew she’d been on the search to add a partner to her practice for a while now, but he felt it was a half-hearted hunt. He could see why his brother-in-law had taken the matter into his own hands. “So let me get this straight. Youhavewanted to find a partner. You tried. Yet you haven’t had a single bite. So, with Matt’s prodding, you applied to this program, but no interest. Until today. And thanks to Matt, you’ll be able to choose the best out of two options for a partner.”
Her brow furrowed.
“Is that so bad?”
“Yes. No.” She frowned. “I don’t know.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“You’re missing the point. These two med school grads aren’t qualified yet. They still have to pass their final boards to get licensed. Remember, they didn’t getmatched. I wouldn’t feel comfortable having them hand out two aspirin without supervision.”
David was sympathetic, but this really wasn’t his problem. He had a full day of problems waiting for him—half with the store, half with the church. The store’s were much easier to solve—delayed shipments, missing boxes, spoiled produce. Annoying but fixable. The church’s were the ones that weighed him down. A beloved father of eight, dying of cancer. A young couple having marital difficulties. One of his ministers was thinking of leaving Stoney Ridge to move to a less expensive area. “Ruth, they’re educated. Now they need experience. Just observing you will be beneficial to them.”
“But how does it help when it means I have to be the one to supervise them? Me! You know how hard it is for me to plan ahead. I thrive on pivoting at a moment’s notice. Somehow, I’ll have to teach them all the basic skills while still keep on top of my practice. You can’t just hand off patients to new residents. Medical students have had very little hands-on experience. They’ve spent most of their time in a classroom or in a morgue with their cadaver—”
