Back to the Big City!

Last month I spent working in small town Arizona - near double-sized reflection of my small little hometown.  Let me say that little place kept me busy and on my toes for those 4 weeks.  I have learned and seen sooooooooooo much in my one month there - it has been amazing.  I spent the month working with a group of 3 family physicians in their private practice.  They deliver babies, do c-sections, and see their own patients in the hospital.  Most days I would see any moms and babies in the hospital and then round on the sick patients in the hospital.  After which the physician from the practice on call would come and review the patients with me.  Then we would head off to clinic for the day - heading back to the hospital as needed to check on laboring patients or patients on the hospital floor.  It was busy to say the least.
 
Since I wanted to gain as much experience as possible, I spent every night on call - mainly for the OB patients.  Waiting for them to deliver.  Let me tell you - those first few weeks, my sleep pattern was all awry.  Even though OB was the most exciting part of the rotation, the best part though of the entire month was the continuity.  I would see moms in clinic for routine OB checks, then in the hospital for delivery, and then a week later in clinic for their post-partum check along with the new little addition to their family.
It was the same for some of the patients that ended up in the hospital - I saw them in clinic, in the hospital for multiple days and then again for a hosptial follow up.  That was a large part of why I went into family medicine - to see and care for patients over time.

The month was a breathe of fresh air - reminding me of the way family medicine can be practiced.  To see family docs "doing it all."

I'm glad to be back in Tucson (and have been for 3 weeks - I'm a little delayed in my posting) - to be back with the people I care about, but I will miss my small town Arizona and their clothing optional hot springs.  haha

Below pictures from a hike nearby where I worked!

They liked me!  My goodbye cake! :)