By the time I arrived at Mad River Family Practice (MRFP), I had already completed my required family medicine rotations. However, the physicians that I had followed previously served a predominantly adult patient base and I felt like I was missing a piece of the puzzle by not interacting with OB and pediatric patients. I was attracted to the family medicine residency program at Mad River because of their stated emphasis on continuity of patient care across settings and stages of life, as well as their high volume obstetrics practice, small resident to faculty ratio, and location in a rural setting. I had two weeks to spend at the Ohio State University Rural Family Medicine Program in West Liberty and I intended to get as much out of the experience as possible.
A warm welcome
From the very beginning I was impressed with the kindness and generosity shown by the program staff. Tara Wagner, the program director on site, sent emails before my arrival telling me about housing options (even offering her own home), outlining what to expect for the day to day schedule, and was genuinely interested in what I wanted to experience during the rotation. During my stay, l lived with Dr. McCreery and his wife, who were equally accommodating. It was not uncommon for them to take me out to dinner or welcome me along with them for a walk. They strived to make my stay in their home a comfortable one.
Full spectrum of care
I remember my first day quite clearly. In the morning I rounded with the senior resident and attended morning report. Immediately after, there was a scheduled C section, and then it was off to the office where I saw two babies for their well child checkups, three pregnant women for routine exams, and an equal number of pediatric patients and adults rounded out the day. It was fantastic. I was finally seeing the spectrum of patients I wanted to see. Each day was different than the one before, but one thing remained constant, and that was the variety of patients I saw throughout the day. I worked with a different physician each day and saw the full spectrum of OB to geriatric patients. The time flew by – I hardly looked at my watch and when I did I was always surprised at how late in the day it was.
When it came time to sit down and write a review of my rotation for my medical school I struggled with what to write. Not because I couldn’t think of anything positive to say, but because I found it difficult to put into words the scope of my experiences during the two weeks. I ended my review with the following words, “If you want to see the full spectrum of family medicine, from OB all the way to geriatrics, spend quality time with patients, work with genuinely friendly physicians, and be treated as a peer, then this is the rotation for you.” I was excited to learn from the physicians at MRFP because they were excited about what they did. They were eager and enthusiastic teachers. In the end, I think the best thing to say about my experience is that the two weeks went by quickly and I wish I could have stayed longer.