 |
| From the skyscrapers of Philly to the mountains of central PA |
I'm completing my family medicine rotation at a hospital in central PA, and it's been smooth sailing so far. The residents (a majority of whom are DOs, and many are PCOM alums) and attendings have been incredibly welcoming and wonderful teachers. My days consist of following a third-year resident around the family medicine office, which is separate from the hospital. I go into the exam room, get the chief complaint, present to the resident (aka be a bumbling idiot), then the resident goes in and sees the patient, then presents to the attending, who discusses assessments and treatment plans with the resident, and then the resident goes back in to see the patient to finish up the visit. There are a lot of steps for one visit, but it's a good teaching model for the resident, because the attending is there (solely as a preceptor) for feedback and advice. The residents and students also attend daily morning report and lunchtime lectures, which cover a broad range of topics (yesterday's lecture was on malpractice; today's was on peds developmental milestones). There are also weekly workshops for the residents, and students are welcome to sit in. Last week's workshop was learning how to sew up episiotomies (I won't go into detail, but giving birth is enough of a traumatic event; women do NOT need to go through that additional torture) using bovine tongues as teaching models. Since there were extra tongues, the students were welcome to try their hand at it, although now I feel bad/afraid for my future first episiotomy repair.
Accommodations are pretty nice; I'm living in a room in a hallway that used to be a patient wing, but is now an extension of the residents' lounge. Students get unlimited free food from the hospital cafeteria, which is a major WIN along with not having to drive anywhere to get the office. Believe me, I triple-checked with the orientation leader about the food thing, ("So, it's free? And unlimited? So I can go in for my meals? And snacks? And there's no limit per visit?"), because if there's anything I appreciate, it's free food (it just has to be slightly above palatable, which this food definitely is). The town isn't as urban/busy as Philadelphia, but I've enjoyed the scenic drives I've been taking on the weekends. Who knows, maybe in a few weeks, I'll go camping by the "crick"!
(That's the creek. And I would probably be too scared of getting infected with Giardia to go near one.)
