This rotation was very helpful in allowing me to gain experience with procedures. On my first day I was thrown into performing procedures such as venipuncture, ekg, spirometry, running a UA, performing a pap smear, etc. By the end of my rotation I was a lot more comfortable performing these procedures and I was able to improve my skills.

This rotation was definitely different from my previous rotation because of the amount of time that was spent with each patient. In my previous rotation, ambulatory care, the goal was to get the patient in and out of the office quickly. In family medicine, the goal is to address each of the patient’s concerns and make sure everything is up to date with their care. I also encountered different types of complaints. For example, on my last day we had a patient who had recently lost her son and was there for more of a psychiatric visit. It was interesting seeing this different type of patient compared to what I was used to and having to use other tools of care other than a medical approach.

I enjoyed working in this office because it was a small office and being able to see patients follow up that I recognized and they would recognize me was different than what I was used to. Being able to draw someones blood for test results, then being there to tell them their results when they came back in 5 days later allowed me to learn more about the long term approach to caring for patients and how to make goals for them and manage their health.

Aside from my procedure experience, I think my physical exam skills also grew. Doing countless annual physicals in a day along with a few focused physicals allowed me to grow more comfortable and understand what to look for. During this rotation I was able to see some abnormals, such as an atrial fibrillation patient, feeling thyroid nodules, fibrocystic breasts, HPV, HSV, etc. I enjoyed being able to identify these abnormals, then going to my preceptor and informing her so that she can have a second look. Looking back at my reflection from my first rotation, I had stated I wanted to focus on physical exams, and I think that i was able to complete that goal.

For my next rotation, surgery, one of my main goals will be focusing on writing and presenting SOAP notes. I have a good amount of experience with H&Ps, so I would like to focus more on soap notes now because of the type of patients I will be encountering. I plan to do this by presenting my patients to my preceptor in a soap note fashion. I am looking forward to seeing how I will grow during my next rotation.