Pediatrics

This semester, our clinical skills class is centered around a set of different experiences with different age groups from a newborn exam to a elderly exam/nursing home visit. The first half of the semester is "pediatrics" focused. Last week, we conducted a newborn physical exam. This week, we have a "young child" experience. The week after that, we do an "adolescent experience." Coming into medical school, Pediatrics was at the top of my list of prospectives specialties. Knowing that most medical students switch what they want to do many times during the course of medical school, I was happy to keep my options open...but boy do I love pediatrics! Out of every lecture we have had during the course of school and every clinical experience we have had so far, I have enjoyed anything with pediatrics so much! I really will be surprised if I don't end up doing peds.

Last weeks newborn exam was my most favorite thing ever! As a group of 5 medical students, we went into the nursery at Sparrow Hospital. We started out with one of the neonatologists going over the different aspects of the newborn exam, then split up and conducted our own exams. I had such an amazing time! Its really exciting that we are actually having real clinical experiences now, interacting with real patients (non-simulated ones) and conducting exams that we will actually be using in our career. I love it. I love peds. I love this semester.