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VCOM Students

Durga (Amy) Kumar: Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital, South Boston

If you could write a “letter” to your second-year self about rotations, what would you say? 

Here's to being tired but also energized all at the same time. You’ll finally get to take all that knowledge you’ve been building up for the past two years and put that to use. It’s going to be nerve-wracking in the beginning and you’ll definitely hit a learning curve. But as the weeks go on, you’ll feel like you’re finally getting the hang of it and as soon as you do the next rotation will start and you’re back to square one again. 

As the months go on, it gets better, you learn the ins and outs of the hospital, the preceptors and how to present. It becomes a little easier and, of course, the excitement of a new specialty and a new experience does not dull. Take it one day at a time, and be present, attentive and willing to learn. Third year is everything you thought medical school would be, with the overload of information and being able to connect these vague bits and pieces of knowledge in your mind. You might even fall in love with medicine all over again. So, here’s to being tired and energized at the same time. Good luck!

 

What stands out about your third-year rotations?

The amount of hands-on experience that I have been able to garner has been amazing, especially since the attendings here at South Boston treat you as if you are the resident during your intern year. 

You really get to thrive and use your knowledge base to create assessments and plans for your patients. This has made me grow a lot quicker as a student and feel more confident in my presentations and plans. For example, during our anesthesiology rotation I got the experience of intubating and extubating patients in conjunction with learning the pharmacological mechanisms of the medications used. During my GI rotation, I was able to not only come up with a differential diagnosis and treatment plans (to present to my preceptor) for my patients during clinic hours but also have the experience of learning to scope patients and being involved in the procedural elements.

 

Did anything surprise you about your rotation experience? I did not get my first choice for my site, but I truly believe everything worked out the best with South Boston. The preceptors have been absolutely amazing teachers in honing my interests and making sure I get opportunities, especially when it comes to hands-on clinical skills. Every single preceptor I’ve had has been extremely conducive to my learning experience and the small town is quite charming. 

What is a "typical" day like for you?

A typical day definitely varies with specialty, but it usually starts off with getting to the clinic around 8:30 a.m. and prepping on the patients we will be seeing that day. I will usually see the patient before the doctor comes in and present to them, and then we’ll go in together to finish seeing the patient and come up with an adequate treatment plan. Depending on the specialty, there could be some consults at the hospital or procedures that need to be taken care of as well. Usually, the student will go see the consult and write up a note, then present to the attending physician. The workday should wrap up around 5 p.m. I’ll get to go home and study up on topics that I’ve seen during the day and do some question as well as go to the gym to get a quick workout in.

 

How has the rotation experience helped solidify what you want to practice? 

South Boston has an amazing set of internal medicine doctors and specialties that really showcase the different learning styles, lifestyles as well as types of physiology that they focus on. This creates a great learning environment to foster someone’s passion if they have an interest in internal medicine. 

I’ve seen so much, from learning the basics on the floor and ICU, to the hospitalists, to being able to see clinic and procedural aspects of cardiology and gastroenterology. As someone who had a small interest in internal medicine going in and trying to see where I would fit in best, my rotation experience has solidified that this is where I belong and that this is the field that I should pursue. 

 

What do you want people to know about what rotations are, how they work and why they are important?

Rotations are the place where third- and fourth-year medical students get to use the two years of didactic learning and translate it into clinical skills. These skills are the ones that are not easily attainable through just reading a book or doing practice questions. It is a great way for us to connect the dots on what we’re learning in school to real life. We are always so grateful for the patients who let us learn from them to help us become better future physicians and prepare for residency.