The last 7 weeks of my didactic curriculum (ever) include my rotation in general pediatrics. Can I just say how much I love children?! I knew this long before I ever started PA school, but after doing my last seven week rotation in palliative care, this rotation is a far cry from the end-of-life discussions I observed prior to this. I walked into clinic on Tuesday morning, on the first bright, sunny day Denver has seen in a long while, coffee in hand, and found bright paintings on the walls of jungle and under-the-sea scenes. "The Little Mermaid" was playing on a loop on the waiting room television (try getting "Under the Sea" out of your head after hearing it 9 times in one day; the calypso beat that Sebastian sings to is actually pretty catchy). Immediately, I was welcomed by the doctor who started the practice, the office staff, and several other providers with whom I'll be working with this semester. I was already having fun, and I hadn't even seen any patients yet. Overall, my first day of this rotation was phenomenal, and I loved that all of the providers came in excited to see patients, and were so in love with their jobs. I could get used to this.
The rest of the week was a drag, more so than is usual. There are only 7 weeks left of the semester, including our week of the big comprehensive exam, and I had my first minor freakout session about the comprehensive exam. There really is no good way to study for an exam that essentially tests everything we've learned in the past 2 years, before we're allowed to be let loose into the world of full-time clinical medicine. However, I'm hoping that with the time I spend during spring break studying, I can use everything I know to prove that I'm SOOOO ready to leave the classroom.
Back to studying for the 2 exams that stand between me and spring break (as much of a break as it will be with comprehensive studying). Here are some photos from our recent IV lab (I got all sticks that I attempted successfully on my partner!)
 |
| Nice little blood splatter |
 |
| Trying not to look at the giant needle |
 |
| My turn....just threading the catheter into the vein :-) |
