A few lessons learned on my rotations so far

         It has been my goal to take away something from every clinical experience I have on rotations. I have had many good experiences and, for lack of a better word, some interesting experiences... but believe it or not, I am always learning from every situation. Its like sifting through a stack of legos trying to find exactly what you need for your own creation! Basically choosing what you want to implement into your own practice of medicine when your done with school.

It typically goes like this:

You see one patient approach... 

you document it, and try it out... 

it works ...

then you repeat until...

it doesn't work very well...

then you scratch that and do it again!

Its a constant learning curve that I don't think I will ever get in front of... at least it seems that way, and perhaps this approach will constantly allow me to learn new things through my career as a PA. 

 I figure I would share a few lessons I have learned from my short experience on rotations so far in hopes that it might better prepare someone on their clinical rotations.  

1. Always take away something from your clinical experience

It might be something you saw your preceptor do, or a well formed question he or she asked... it might be something your preceptor did that you don't want to implement cause it doesn't suite your personality. Either way, take away your own personal lessons.

2. Always be nice to the supporting staff

This may mean you have to buy donuts to win over everyone! Don't undervalue how amazing the MA, Nurses, and front desk staff are. Always be wiling to help them, and never feel you are "too good" to do a simple task like taking vitals, or helping to take out the trash. Your rotation will go so much smoother if you make friends with everyone in the office. 

3.  Don't be afraid to make mistakes!

My current preceptor let me in on some amazing advice. He told me "don't be afraid to make a mistake! If you get something wrong, we will approach it again and try something different". Having support like this makes "flying out of the nest" a lot easier. It can be scary seeing a patient, coming up with a treatment plan, and approaching your preceptor about it... its a lot of pressure. But trust me, it gets easier with time. Having patient, helpful preceptors really make it easier to handle during your first few rotations.  


4.  Keep a good record of what you do on rotations


I was lucky enough to be instructed my first year to keep an active CV as I go through my rotations. This "clinical experience" section in my CV includes every rotation with a brief summary of my skills and experiences during the rotation. 

Having an updated CV throughout rotations will make it easier to give to a future employer whenever interested, without having to slap something together quickly. Plus it will be much easier to remember what you did on a rotation if recorded during that rotation rather than trying to remember 6 months or more prior.

5. Keep your sanity

Working full-time all the time without taking time to play will lead to a huge life imbalance. PA school is effective enough the first year at taking up all your time. Make sure you explore and have fun wherever your rotations take you. I really enjoy working out and have found a gym wherever my rotations have been. It helps me to keep my stress levels down, and allows me to keep my sanity. Of course I have found time to explore the cities and towns of my rotations. The pacific northwest is beautiful and taking weekends to go and explore really help to keep my life in balance.

Mora beach- a photo I took just outside of Forks