Hello readers! Today, I wanted to share some more information about clinical year, but on a much more detailed level so you can develop a greater understanding of the experience we are given.
I am currently beginning my 4th week in my primary care rotation. I am working with one physician in a private practice in North Haven, CT. A lot of the work consists of health management and prevention. It’s been an enjoyable experience for several reasons. First off, the patients are very appreciative and have really opened up to me as a physician assistant student. They are welcoming, which allows me to feel as if I can truly help with the management and treatment plans. In addition to the welcoming patients, the staff I have been working with has been extremely helpful. The medical assistants are always willing to lend a hand and have made me feel as if I am part of the medical team. Another benefit of my current rotation is the time that my current preceptor spends on the details in order to enhance my learning experience. Everyday I am broadening my knowledge base and fine tuning the concepts I have already learned. Also, there are plenty of resources to use while at the office to help me better understand any diagnosis or management plan.
So what else am I learning that can’t be taught in a textbook? Well, over my past few rotations, I have learned to always be skeptical of what is going on with a patient. Although the common things are common, it is important to also always consider the less common diagnoses to explain a patient’s signs and symptoms, as we live in a world of uncertainty. This is why it is so important to develop a differential. Formulating a sufficient and appropriate differential is what I think is one of the more challenging skills, and something that comes with practice and experience. It requires one to pull together all the key findings and complaints and to then determine what might be causing it all.
Lastly, I thought this would be a good time to mention some encouraging thoughts. I’m sure after reading the first-year PA student blogs and doing your own research, you understand the level of intensity that exists within a PA program. However, I want to take this time to explain how important this first year is and how much it helps in your second year as a PA student. I remember there being days last year, when I would think to myself “how on earth am I ever going to know all this!” and the truth is, no one will ever know it all. But we do all surprise ourselves at times in how much we really know! There are things I did not think I even retained last year, but there are concepts and ideas buried in my brain and each and everyday as a physician assistant student completing my clinical year, I pull more and more of it out and apply it. Learning and practicing medicine is a continuum and the process is endless and limitless!
As you can see, things are really moving along as a 2nd year physician assistant student!
- Stephanie Colella, Physician Assistant 2012
