Overall, I enjoyed my time at Nao-Medical for my ambulatory rotation. Going into this rotation my expectations would be that I would be able to perform multiple procedures as ambulatory care is a mix of family medicine and emergency medicine. And the rotation didn’t disappoint. I was able to perform suture removal, albeit no suturing, I was able to apply an ulnar gutter splint and perform a fluorescein exam. One of the highlights of this reflection was the level of autonomy I was given. I saw patients on my own, presented the case, came up with diagnosis, and treatment plans, and was constantly getting feedback which helped me become a better clinician.

The environment was quite fast-paced, and it took some time to adjust but I was able to get the hang of it. I also loved the team I worked with, the medical assistant, medical scribe, and provider were great and made me part of the team even though I was just a student. My diagnosis and treatment were aligned with what the provider would do, this gave me confidence that I’m becoming a better clinician. A challenge during this rotation was patients asking for antibiotics when one was not indicated because the patient’s symptoms were caused by a virus. From these encounters I learned educating patients is an important part of being a provider, especially when they are asking for antibiotics. These interactions helped me relay knowledge to the patient and have difficult talks with them about the misuse of antibiotics, and the importance of supportive care for viral infections. This rotation has been my favorite so far.

Going forward to my next rotation I want to perform more procedures, hopefully, become more autonomous, and gain more confidence in presenting cases to my preceptor which I did the most in this rotation so far. I also want to get better at reading labs, which is something I haven’t done since internal medicine, and it’s something I’m hoping I will get more exposure to in long-term care since I’m hoping the patients are established, compared to urgent care where you see the patient once, and usually never again.