This morning, I was given a free morning instead of clinical. BAM I realized that I would rather volunteer in the clinic or shadow one of the fabulous nurses than have a day off. I’d rather be in clinic over chilling at home, over extra sleep, even over enjoying the beautiful sunshine outside. More clinical time please?
I love the flow of new faces and learning bits of clients’ lives: people sharing snippets of their lives that make them happiest (often regarding their children and/or grandchildren) or snippets of the challenges they’ve overcome. Something that I’ve learned about myself is that I like variety in my work. What I liked about the eye clinic was that clients have a wide range in age and conditions. I also know that I enjoy constant interaction with people, as long I’m not selling a product to them which I’ve learned that I did NOT enjoy doing in the past. In other words, I like the interactions and relationships built in the healthcare provider- client context.
What was specific to this clinic that I thought was fun was that you get to see the same clients more than once, and in some cases, you get to work with members of the same family so you get to tell the grandma that you saw her granddaughter yesterday.
The more I learn, the more questions I have. I’m so curious about the science behind the exams that are done. After a while, I noticed patterns such as if particular tools are used, the Dr likely detected a cataract, but have absolutely no clue how he knew. That’s what years of schooling and years and year of experience on the job are for.
My preceptor yesterday asked me if I could see myself in this environment doing his job for the rest of my life. I don’t know if I’d want to do exactly his job because I’m hesitant about the constant travel away from family. But yes, I do know that I really love being in clinic and want to spend more in clinic. I’d like to doing a job that allows me to constantly interact with people.
Tips?
- Wear comfortable shoes if you know that you’ll be standing for hours.
- Bring a lunch that can be eaten very quickly.
- But when you’re busy, you likely won’t feel hungry and will only realize that you should probably eat when someone else asks if you’ve eaten and points out how late past normal mealtime it is.
- I generally try to avoid caffeine but I succumbed to having half a cup of free coffee.
SPPH 408
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