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Ambulatory Medicine: Rotation Reflection

I had the opportunity to rotate at STATcare urgent care. During this time I would see almost every patient on my own, before seeing them with the provider. This allowed me the opportunity to practice coming up with a differential and plan. I noticed I improved on my differentials and plans. I also was exposed to new procedures, such as drainage of an abscess and paronychia. I performed more suturing on this rotation than on others. I got a lot more comfortable performing digital blocks and injecting lidocaine into laceration sites. Additionally, I practiced IVs, blood draws and giving intradermal, subcutaneous and intramuscular injections. I also practiced counselling patients, but this is something that I need to practice more of and would like to do in future rotations. I was surprised by how often I would ask patients about their alcohol use, and they would tell me they don’t drink a lot, even when they do. This taught me that it is always important to phrase the question by saying how many drinks do you have per day, rather than asking how much you drink. I remember meeting a patient who was drug seeking. At the time I didn’t realize it, but the provider informed me of this later. This is one of the reasons why it is important to always I-stop patients before prescribing controlled substances. I anticipate being better at discerning drug seeking patients in the future as my experience grows.