I thought my time at the Family Health Center would be a very simple rotation earlier this spring, but it actually started off in a very odd way... When I first got to the FHC around 8:55am, I was let in through a back entrance by a random woman who pointed me in the direction of the outpatient clinic. I walked alone through the hallways, which made me feel like a rat in a maze with similar walls at every turn. Somehow I ended up at the outpatient clinic, and to my dismay, the entire area was deserted. I felt completely confused as to why the clinic (which was supposed to open in 5 minutes) was completely empty. It was as if everyone had cleared out and disappeared into nowhere. Sweaters hung on the back of seats, and monitors and computers were up and running. It really felt like those zombie movies that start out in a deserted hospital where zombies eat everyone. You know, kind of like those Resident Evil movies that start out like that.
There was not a soul in sight, so I also figured, "Perhaps I walked into a bomb code and the place got evacuated." After about 10 minutes of walking around and yelling into nowhere, I finally found my way to an auditorium where literally everybody in the hospital was in a massive staff meeting and was about to let out. I eventually found my place, and felt relieved that I wasn't the only one who had survived a zombie apocalypse.
I enjoyed the outpatient clinic the most because I saw a large variety of patients in this rotation. Dr. Katie Vick showed me a lot about pediatric care and about the importance of knowing even basic Spanish. Her conjugations weren't perfect, but I found myself at least able to stumble along. Dr. Vick, a great and kind doctor, was pregnant, like Dr. McCurley who I had shadowed earlier in the semester. Her medical team threw her a baby shower, and I got to enjoy some cake and cookies before starting the day.
The first patient I saw taught the importance of speaking and understanding Spanish. In broken Spanglish, Dr. Vick explained to the patient, a 35 year old female, that she had a badly sprained ankle. She was prescribed mobic, a stronger anti-inflammatory than motrin, and was placed in an ankle brace. Dr. Vick even spoke to the patient's friend in Spanish about the discharge instructions. I guess I should brush up on my Spanish too. I also got to see a newborn exam on a 2 week old baby girl. She was completely normal and had all perfectly reflexes. I learned about how infants also can get a linea negra, and about the Morrow reflex. Dr. Vick also demonstrated the grip reflex on the hands and the toes.
Seeing the third patient taught me that sometimes, we, as physicians, must stay out of domestic disputes and remember that we are there to advocate and care primarily for our patients, not their parents or relatives. The patient was a 4 year old girl who was overweight. Both parents argued over what the child could do and how she constantly had "accidents" while sleeping. Apparently the father believed it had to do with her watching "too much Scooby Doo" and he felt he needed to take that away from her. Dr. Vick dealt with it by diverting the parents' attention to the fact that the girl is only supposed to watch about 30 minutes of media time and get at least 10 hours of sleep. This situation showed me that physicians should stay on the clinical side of things and avoid potential problems like domestic disputes because it could be counterproductive to the patient's care.
On a side note, the CDC has recognized the possibility of a zombie apocalypse. I knew those zombies were real! Check it out here:
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