Pediatrics … the place for me?

We are now into our last week of the quarter – seriously … I. can’t. believe. it. I had my OB final today, my pediatrics final is on Wednesday and my last OB/Peds clinical is on Thursday/ Friday.  Then it’s on to THREE-DAY WEEKENDS and Adult Health II. Although this short quarter has been tough, with LOTS of papers and care plans on top of clinicals, lab days, and class, it’s definitely been the most fun.  Who knew I would’ve liked kids and pregnant ladies so much?

Our first local transitions meeting is on Wednesday after our final and I really need to start thinking about where I want to do my transitions, not to mention applying for jobs (yup, starting that awesome process next week … yikes).  Honestly the most frustrating part for me is I like everything.  I have truly, despite some frustration with the crazy scheduling this quarter, loved learning different aspects of this profession. What I’ve really loved about my peds floor at Hopkins is the amazing variability and broad range of conditions we see on our floor alone.  It’s not an intensive care unit, but rather, a broader version of a medical surgical floor and I love the idea of learning and working with different kinds of diseases and conditions.

On my pediatric floor my fellow students and I have cared for kids with appendectomies to rare forms of hydrocephalous, from Lyme disease to cystic fibrosis. I have only dealt with young kids (5 and 6 years old), but we have a variety of age ranges, and that is also a challenging aspect of pediatrics I like. Obviously communicating with a 5-year-old is very different than communicating with an 11-year-old, and finding a way to communicate with their families and caregivers is also an art in itself.

Honestly, the two biggest draws for me to pediatrics are the abilities to be on a floor that would have lots of variability and working with families, making them part of the health care team.  When my younger sister was sick, her care team worked with my family as if we were one of their own.  I want to be able to continue that level of care and communication.

As I move through this program, I’m finding out more about where my strengths lie, and how I want to use them.  When I first started here, I thought I wanted to be in critical care, or the emergency department.  But as I’ve moved through this program, I’ve found myself enjoying medical surgical much more.  I have a little more time to understand my patients- both diagnostically and personally. To me, this not only means making a personal connection, but also having the ability to become more of an advocate for my patients.

I’ve got a few weeks to decided and work through whether I want to work in a pediatric population or adults, but for now a pediatric exam is calling my name.

See you in Adult Health II!