I had the pleasure of rotating at Dr. Streete-Small’s Family Medicine Practice in Jamaica. During this time, I saw patients from start to finish, took thorough histories, performed physical exams and came up with assessment and plans on my own. I would then write up the notes for the patient. I had the opportunity to improve on my skills in all of the above areas. I also improved on my differential diagnoses. I saw patients with both acute and chronic conditions which allowed me to practice dealing with and treating both of these types of issues. I had the opportunity to counsel patients on many issues, including about smoking cessation, alcohol dependence, mental health, weight loss, safe sex practices, contraceptives and managing chronic conditions. To perform counselling effectively, it is important to create a rapport with the patient from when you enter the room. This is something I worked on and believe I improved on throughout the rotation. Using an electronic system to take notes can be challenging, as it sometimes takes away from the connection we make with patients. Early on in my rotation this was mentioned to me. I used this feedback and came up with a new system. When I enter a room, I spend the first few minutes talking with the patient without writing notes. I then quickly jot down what I need to, so I don’t forget and spend as much time as possible face to face with the patient. I realized this has improved my rapport with patients and made counselling patients a lot easier. I hope to continue practicing this and improving on this skill in the future. I also learned a lot about the community in which I practiced. I had the opportunity to work with an underserved population. Growing up in New York, I thought I knew a decent amount about the underserved populations here, but I realized that there was so much more to learn. I gained a deeper understanding into some of the challenges this community faces. One story that really sticks with me was with a young teenage boy who came in for child abuse, or so it seemed at the time. Later on, the parent who was supposedly abusing the child came in with injuries of her own. At that point I realized this was more than a child abuse case, this was actually a case of domestic violence. After seeing this case I tried to imagine what it must be like for the teenager growing up in a broken home. I thought about the emotional challenges he is facing, about his mental health, academic and social performance. All of these factors are likely affected by his situation at home. I also observed Dr. Streete-Small address all of these issues. She truly demonstrated medicine is not just about treating a single issue, rather it is about treating the whole person.