The Pediatric rotation finished! Looking back, long hours were spent with adorable, but screaming children.
After this rotation I really felt that my history taking skills have improved. Seeing 50+ patients per day gave me an opportunity to fine tune the questions I posed to parents and the patients (a technique that I'm sure I will be forever perfecting). I realized that it is such a fundamental part of any exam as it can drastically alter an assessment and treatment plan. Patients and parents tend to forget/ not divulge details if they do not think them significant and as a medical student we have the privilege to spend a fair amount of time questioning patients before the doctor sees them. The questions you ask and the flow of the interview not only sets the atmosphere of the appointment (especially in pediatrics) but it also shows the supervising doctor your train of thought. Each question should be directed in such a way that it either 'rules in' or 'rules out' a diagnosis on your continually forming mental differential diagnosis list.... and trust me that list is a long one when the answer to "what brings you in today?" is "my child has been coughing".
So, with that said, I do love kids; I like observing their different personalities and how they surface at such a young age. I like making them laugh and feel comfortable in the doctor's office. I am grateful for the opportunity to have had such a large amount of time interacting with patients during the peds rotation but my heart is with the field of obstetrics and gynecology :) ... and will make sure to enjoy the simple fact that my patients will be able to express their pain and describe it!
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| Being home meant I got to spend time with this "little" guy. :) |
I was definitely burned out when I got home. Sleep, eating and doing nothing all day had never felt better... every now and then we all need a lazy, lounging day ( or week) spent in the confines of our home ... Although, as I sit here waiting my plane, I am excited to be returning to my role as a medical student. I guess I missed having a structured day. I really shouldn't be surprised; I am the type of person that will choose white water rafting and camping as my vacation rather than an all-inclusive resort.
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| Friends supporting friends. Being in medical school doesn't mean your hobbies are put on hold. |
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| the never ending swarm of runners was such an amazing view. |
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| mile 11. |
I also went to support a friend running the NYC Marathon (I hope to write a short post on that alone) but I do want to encourage all of you to attend a big city marathon if you ever have the chance. It truly is an inspiring atmosphere!
So what's next?
I'm going back to the start! That is I will be returning to Sheppard Pratt for a 3 week clerkship in female adolescent psychiatry before returning to Florida for 3 months of Trauma Surgery to complete my third year.
I'm excited to return to Pratt as I will be going back changed; a more experienced medical student. With Ob/Gyn in mind, the female adolescent psych elective will be a nice complement. During my core Ob/Gyn clerkship we dealt with a surprising number of pregnancy complications related to drug addictions and mental health. I will try to keep you posted.
To end this overdue and long update I'm also happy to share I will be partaking in the Color Run in support of Global Citizen. Click on the links to find out more about them and see when they will be hosting an event near you :) It's a fun and interactive way to get everyone involved and spread awareness.
PS. Personal goal of running a marathon has been set... and now it is public which means I have to do it
Once more, thank you very much for the opportunity to get a lot of useful information about Saba Medical School, but also see the perseverance, dedication, and commitment you have been displaying all the way, from the very first post.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading and rereading your posts, comments and your answers, I understand more about my child's life (a student at Saba)
I know, it might sound little selfish, but, as a parent, I would like to ask you to keep posting. You have been encouraging a lot of people, and, without a doubt, you are a great doctor. God bless you.
thank you so much! I hope you keep following. It's a long and sacrificing journey but I think it will all be worth it in the end.
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ReplyDeleteYou are inspiring and you will be an amazing doc. I hope that Canada is lucky enough to benefit from your diligent studies and obvious deep commitment to medicine.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome comment! I hope so too… but if not, I hope that the US will be just as lucky. :)
Deletecould you please write more regarding trying to get into the canadian system as a physician? much of the information on the web says it is pretty much impossible to come back to Canada from the Caribbean, and I hope you will be able to counter this "fact" with your story! I am heading to the Caribbean for Medicine in May 2014 and I just want to feel more secure in knowing I have a chance of coming back to Canada to practice !
ReplyDeleteAs of right now, it's hard for me to comment on it as I have yet to go through the match process and my friends who are going through it this year have yet to know the results (matching happens in march). When I can I will try and put together a post on it.
DeleteHey, I've been going through your blog for a while and I have to say it's very insightful and motivational for anyone interested in pursuing medicine! Thank you!
DeleteYou must be very busy now since you don't have as much time to update your blog, but I was wondering if you could give any updates regarding matching?? Would be very helpful. Thanks & goodluck!
this post gave me pleasure . thanks for this
ReplyDeleteKaplan Lecture Notes Usmle Step 1 2014
nice one good
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