Peds in a nutshell

Pediatrics in review

Well friends, the pediatrics rotation is officially in the books!  And now that I'm on this side of the test, I can now proclaim that I DID NOT get peed on, barfed on, or contract anything other than a 4 day virus!!  <Applause>

Whether I unconsciously planned it or not, it was really nice to finish the summer semester in the classroom studying pediatrics and then turn around and have my first rotation in the fall be pediatrics.  Still don't know my test grade from this morning, but I'm sure I'll have enough to pass.  Which, for the first time, is the name of the game from this point on!  Got a 98% on that test?  Nice.  Got a 78% on it?  Just as good, according to our future diploma.  Bit of a paradigm shift to aim for passing, but I think that aspect is going to go a long way for my sanity on weeks like this past one.

OK, so peds in review:  Good!  I liked it.  Kids are (most of the time) so fun to work with, and you get to have funny moments come out of nowhere that brighten your day.  It has its problems too of course, but all in all, children have good attitudes and are good patients.  As it was phrased, "Plus, kids are hard to kill."  Which is totally true!  Maybe its a lack of knowing their own mortality, but those kids can survive almost anything.  A nice caveat that isn't always true in medicine.

In peds, you'll see whatever common conditions are in season, i.e. if you go in the wintertime, expect more croup, flu, rotavirus, asthma, etc.  Since I was at the start of school, I saw lots of viral URIs, allergies, and of course, scabies.  Everyone can plan on seeing lots of allergic rhinitis, eczema, and that ultra common stuff.  

Advice:  For your patients, know the following - keratosis pilaris, pityriasis alba, and tinea vesicolor.  For your test, google the condition and get a good look at lots of different presentations so you'll be ready for anything.  All pityriasis rosea does not look exactly alike!

Finally and most importantly, a HUGE thank you to my preceptor Tamara, as well as Wendy and Jennifer (the other 2 PAs at the office) at Irving Pediatrics.  You allowed me a great and unique opportunity, to see any and all of your patients on my own with my limited experience and burgeoning knowledge.  I know each of those hundreds of visits was a direct reflection on you, and I'm truly humbled by your trust in a guy who'd never before changed a diaper.

Peds in a nutshell:

So now we close the Pediatrics book and reach for the Psychiatry book.  I start a four week rotation next Monday morning at 6am... on the Psych Ward at the Dallas County Jail.  

grace & peace