HRPI Week 4 Recap:

Monday:

Today, I shadowed the Family Medicine team on their morning rounds. I got to be a part of caring for a wide variety of patients, from newborns to the elderly. After lunch, I shadowed Dr. Miranda Worley in the Huntsville Hospital Family Medicine clinic, where I got to assist with another ear irrigation procedure!

Tuesday:

Today, I shadowed the Internal Medicine team on their morning rounds. I was surprised by the many different roles of the team members -- an attending physician, a couple of resident physicians, a pharmacist, and a few students. I had never considered that pharmacists might perform rounds, too. After lunch, I shadowed a team of both physical and occupational therapists. There, I learned about the many different technological advances in rehabilitation, therapy, and adaptation to life after injury.

Wednesday:

Today, I shadowed Dr. Lopez in the Family Medicine Clinic. I didn't realize how many patients struggle to speak English. Dr. Lopez has inspired me to brush up on my Spanish so that I can better communicate with ALL of my future patients and hopefully overcome the linguistic barriers preventing them from receiving the best possible care. After lunch, I shadowed Dr. Henninger in the Pediatric Clinic. While there, I learned about childhood vaccinations, illnesses, and skin conditions. I also learned about the racial disparities present in healthcare and parent education. Luckily, medicine has now evolved to accommodate and educate more than ever, but many still go un- or misdiagnosed.

Thursday:

Today, we volunteered with Sleep In Heavenly Peace to build beds for children in need. We worked with teams to accomplish different parts of the building process (sanding, drilling, branding, assembling, etc.). I spent my time sanding bed rails, which I luckily have a lot of prior experience in! At the end, we learned that our group of volunteers made a total of 62 beds, which far surpassed our original goal!