Some of the many things that I learned on my Family Medicine rotation at Dr. Devika Persaud’s office were about how to perform effective preventative visits, and interpreting many kinds of test results. I saw patients with many different medical conditions. I also learned how to council patients about diabetic diets, and different indicated screenings. Dr. Persaud took the time to answer all my questions about the various things I had seen and would point out different physical exam findings and lab results.
On this rotation, I worked alongside Dr. Persaud, a family medicine doctor with many years of experience. She taught me many different things about patient care. One way that this rotation was different than the others I had been on is the focus on primary preventative care. I learned to counsel patients about cancer screenings and vaccinations. I also became more proficient at diabetic education and counseling patient about food choices. I learned the importance of taking a careful family and social history for all patients when I realized that a number of diseases run in families including diabetes, hypertension, and certain cancers.
I had the opportunity to practice my primary care history taking. When it came to asking about certain symptoms, I was able to use what we learned in our primary care course to take a good history. For example, on 3 occasions, I encountered patients who were presenting with nightly fevers. When I asked about night sweats and received a positive response, I was careful to ask them if they were soaking their clothes and if they had to change them. One of these patients was subsequently diagnosed with tuberculosis, and unfortunately my rotation was over before the testing came back for the other two. I also encountered patients with chest pain, back pain, and other common concerns that arise in a primary care practice and became proficient at asking the correct questions for each one.
Another opportunity on this rotation was to practice a number of procedures. I performed many venipunctures, and ekgs. I also performed breast exams, a pap smear, injections, and spirometry tests. These are useful skills that I will use on future rotations and as a practicing clinician.
Dr. Persaud taught me a lot about interpreting many different lab results. Over the course of my rotation, I reviewed stacks of patient results and flagged abnormal values. I would then review those with Dr. Persaud and she taught me about making the necessary referrals and medication adjustments. I learned that even though the lab will generally flag abnormal values, it is important to look at each number to get a full picture. I am now very familiar with a host of normal lab values which is important knowledge to have.
In conclusion, I gained a lot from this rotation and learned many new skills. I now appreciate how a family medicine office runs, and how to recognize normal from abnormal and the treatments for many different conditions. I will take this experience with me and continue to improve on the skills that I have acquired.
