I started my first clinical rotation today in Internal medicine. I’ll be here for the next twelve weeks. It was an amazing feeling to be outside of the classroom and get a feel for what medicine is all about. No more simulated patients, and endless nights studying for meaningless exams. Okay, not entirely meaningless I guess, but you get the gist. I’m finally in the hospital assisting to solve actual health issues in my own patients lives. It’s what all of us got in this field to one day do. Every new piece of information I gain will only help me to one day be a better physician.
I also really appreciate the team atmosphere that my hospital exudes. It’s feels great when you can work together with a group on a case, and come to a unified diagnosis. Constantly bouncing ideas off one another, and coming up with possible treatment plans to make sure that your patient is receiving the best overall care possible. This is exactly what I hoped the clinical setting would be like. My team consists of a resident, an intern, a fourth year med student and myself. At first it was definitely scary because I had no idea what to expect. Was I going to get constantly grilled by the resident? Once we began rounds I knew everything was going to be ok. I was reminded that third year is all about educating yourself as much as possible. It’s ok to get a few questions wrong if you learn from them in the end. The whole experience is what makes you a better physician in the future.
After today’s experiences I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. Each day only brings me closer to my goal, and I can’t wait to move forward.
