The surgery clerkship is done and I’m glad to have it behind me, and even more excited for my new clerkship: pediatrics! It will be enjoyable to be working with kids during all the fall and winter holidays. I’ve been stockpiling whimsical clothes and earrings for a while now…
For Halloween, I wore my costume to the clinic. The kids got a kick out of it, and I got quite a few compliments in the hospital hallways. I was a skeleton, which I thought was appropriate given the medical setting! One thing I did learn was that store-bought costumes are best worn for short periods of time…the costume was really hot and tough to get in and out of for necessary things like bathroom breaks. It was a fun experience though!
There will be plenty of opportunities to learn through play during this clerkship. During the outpatient portion of the clerkship all students get to visit Albany Med Kids, the daycare center associated with Albany Medical Center. The purpose of our two mornings at the daycare is to observe normal child development, and to better understand developmental milestones. I’m really looking forward to those days! I volunteered at a preschool throughout college, and I miss the Friday afternoons of frolicking on the playground. It was always great to end the week with a few hours of unadulterated enjoyment.
Sometimes, playing with a child is a good way to better understand their health and development. In the genetics clinic, we have to watch how a child behaves in order to assess their level of function. Do they have tantrums when things don’t go their way? Can they hold a pencil? Do they understand instructions? Through play, all of these things can be efficiently determined. It is pleasant to add a little levity to the practice of medicine. It’s nice not to be so serious all the time. So, I’ll keep playing, and the learning will come along the way. 🙂
