Reflection:

I always enjoy these clinical correlation sessions as it allows us to work through a case and ask questions about how to approach a clinical scenario. Additionally we are given questions to research on pertinent topics to bring back and present to our colleagues as well as learn from them. In my last rotation in clinical skills with Dr. Stephens, I appreciated how she brought real cases to the class and was structured in the sense that she went around the room having students ask questions and give differentials. It was not like other rotations where only a few students would dominate and ask all the questions, or work thru the case themselves. She encouraged all of us to participate, gave good feedback, and clued us into important facts about each case. I learned how to apply evidence-based medicine into our cases such as using Uptodate and PubMed. I think that I have good listening and observational skills; I know I could work on being more vocal and contributing more. We all bring our own unique experiences, which I think is valuable. I am able to follow along and ask relevant questions, and am always inquisitive about certain topics in class. At this stage I feel like we learned a lot of information and are able to apply our knowledge. There are still holes when applying it to make a diagnosis, however I am able to get the information and present a thoughtful logical argument. Personally there is always room for growth and something I would like to work on is building a good differential and working through it to include/exclude tests needed to rule in/out these differentials. Things I liked from certain instructors and sessions were making the class as real world as possible, such as talking to patients and explaining to them what the test results indicated or breaking bad news. This was great practice and we were able to receive good feedback from instructors.

However in some rotations/sessions we are just given the information such as HPI and PE so we would just have to work on a differential, workup, and treatment plan. It would be better suited to get feedback on pertinent questions or PE that we missed, so as to not make the mistake again. Things I would suggest is possibly having the class more interactive with students performing pertinent physical exams on each other, this would be beneficial because we get practice, constructive criticism and very applicable when we go on rotations. Similarly having printouts of imaging and labs and going over in depth during the session to be better acquainted with how to interpret them. Also I would think charting may be something students struggle with, so maybe having some students write SOAP notes after each session for practice would be beneficial. Advice I would give the underclassmen is to have fun and make the most of each session. I know that studying in PA school always comes first, but they can get a lot out of this class, especially learning about our professor’s experiences. Also to take this time and ask questions, don’t be afraid especially since they are placed into smaller groups and get more individual time with the instructors.