Island Med Student

I just finished up my second week of my family medicine rotation. The first two weeks I was on night-call at the hospital. I have learned more in two weeks of rotating in family medicine than I did in twelve weeks of internal medicine. The residents give med students a lot of autonomy, and are also really into teaching. I performed my first pelvic exam, and I am now a pro at performing digital rectal exams. The patients I’ve seen presented with a variety of complaints. I’ve admitted both elderly folks, and a few children as well. I’m starting to actually feel like a real doctor. Not only that, but I think I might just be falling in love with family medicine.

If you asked me two weeks ago which speciality I planned on pursuing, I would have told you that there was a 90% chance that I was going into psychiatry. I have always loved psych, and I could easily imagine myself pursuing that specialty for the rest of my life. But now I’m starting to wonder if that’s true. I’m seriously considering what it would be like to pursue family medicine.

I think the coolest part about primary care, and family medicine in particular, is the variety of diseases and patients you treat. Instead of specializing, and focusing on just one aspect of the patient, you really have to consider the entire person. Not only that, but with family med, you treat all ages. You have to posses at least basic ob/gyn skills. You need to have a mastery of pediatrics. There is just so much more to consider, and the skill set seems larger than with other specialties.

Some people might liken the field of family medicine to being a “jack of all trades, but master of none.” But from what I’ve seen thus far, it’s more like “a master of a few trades, and a jack of many.”

The next two weeks of my rotation will be spent at a clinic close to the hospital. I am absolutely thrilled about experiencing all that the clinic has to offer. Thus far, I have only spent time as a medical student inside the hospital. This will be my first out-patient rotation, and I have a feeling that it’s really going to change my perspective and hopefully broaden my horizons.

I think another part of the appeal of family medicine for me is that I am distinctly aware of the importance of primary care medicine. I believe that the nation is in fact facing a shortage of primary care physicians, and I really like the idea of being a part of the solution to this problem.

The only issue is that I already scheduled two psych electives for this summer. If I’m not going into psych, it would be a better idea to pursue more electives outside of psychiatry. So now I have to decide how serious I am about this whole family medicine idea, and determine whether or not it’s in my best interest to change my schedule.

No matter how things turn out, I am so grateful to have had all the incredible learning experiences that I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy during this rotation. I guess only time will tell. But I’m excited to have a whole new world of possibilities opening up to me!

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