Medical school rotations afforded me incredible opportunities to bolster not only my knowledge base but also my patient-related skills. The following information has helped me provide better patient care; hopefully, it can be of some benefit to you as well.
1. Safety and no violence are not synonymous
During one of my outpatient rotations, I was interviewing a teenager who had come in for a routine annual checkup. Ten minutes into the …
Although my medical school created many opportunities for clinical exposure during the first two years, none of it compared to the immersive experiences that were to follow. Textbooks, PowerPoints, and lectures galore were supplanted by hundreds of patient interactions in my rotation months. Here are four patient communication tips that have served me well, and that I wish I knew from the outset of my rotations.
1. Build rapport with the …
I’ve had some of the most wonderful experiences of my entire medical training working with kids and their families. And this, to me, is not surprising. After all, I envisioned myself as a pediatrician long before I ever entered medical school.
However, I remember that more frequent news of declining vaccination rates at one point temporarily gave me pause: What would it be like to take on the tremendous responsibility of …
Winter break back at home with my family may as well have counted as a preceptorship session or two. Ear infections, the common cold, the flu — if you can name it, there’s a good chance someone in my family caught it. We have never collectively consumed as much cough syrup, pain relievers, and antibiotics as we did over these last two weeks. Seriously, the quantity was awe-inspiring.
Even though each …
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