Specialty Search: Family Medicine

CLERKSHIP #4 = FAMILY MEDICINE 

I had mixed feelings going into this rotation. On one hand, it is known as one of the two rotations (along with Psych) that have SUPER awesome hours. Clinics would be 8:00-5:00 M-F, with the occasional 7:30-5:30 thrown in there. There was also only two half-day weekend shifts! So, I knew life would be good! On the other hand, I had done VERY little out-patient work at this point, so I was a little nervous about what to expect.

Our first two days of the clerkship were school records - SNOW DAYS! MSU is notorious for not every calling snow days, but this year we had two snow days in a row. (Thanks, Polar Vortex!) So, while it was incredibly fabulous to have two full unexpected days off, I was definitely ready to get back to the grind by Wednesday.

When Wednesday arrived, we got our schedules and assigned clinics. I would be spending about 1/3 of my time on campus at the "clinical center" where most of the docs we worked with during our pre-clinical education practiced. This was awesome for two reasons - 1) it was literally 3 minutes driving distance from my apartment and 2) the faculty were very used to working with students. I would be also be spending 1/3 of my time in a community clinic in Lansing with a doc who I heard great things about from our coordinator. Lastly, I'd spend 1/3 of my time in the Family Medicine Residency Clinic in Mason, MI. This clinic was about a 20 min driving distance (which was kind of a bummer), but there would be only 2-3 residents at a time with me being the only student. This meant I would get pulled in to all of the cool procedures and all of the cool cases. So, overall I was pretty stoked about all of my placements.

The rotation was a great one. In just 8 weeks, I felt like I learned A TON. Family Medicine requires you to know bits and pieces of all medical specialities - from pediatrics, to geriatrics, to ob/gyn, to orthopedics, to psychiatry. Although it felt like a steep learning curve at times, every doctor I worked with was phenominal. There were also a lot of extra workshops to be a part of during the clerkship - muskuloskeletal exams, suturing/dermatology clinics, and casting workshops - which were all very fun and educational!

I broke both my wrists :( 

...JUST KIDDING!

When the rotation began wrapping to a close, I realized how much I did enjoy it. I never really thought about being a family doctor, but I could totally see the appeal. 

PROS: GREAT hours, diverse patients, diverse disease processes, and continuity of care. Family doctors are literally the happiest people I have ever met in medicine. They get to see patients from birth until adulthood (if you are practicing long enough). You can tailor your practice to your specific interests. The need for family doctors is everywhere! There are 48 family medicine residency programs in california (yes, i looked this up!). I would be able to do Peds/OB work. Lastly, I actually really did like the out-patient setting, which was a definite surprise to me!

CONS: I really really don't like adult medicine...(is that bad to admit?). Also, anytime you get a patient that is complex (meaning...really cool), many docs that I worked with feel like they should refer. Lastly, I felt like a lot of the time docs were just acting as travel agents, coordinating patient care. In several situations, patients would come in to discuss many health conditions with their PCP, but all of these health conditions were managed by specialists around the city. 

So, as you can see - the pros WAY outway the cons, but there is still something missing for me with family medicine. So, while I haven't totally decided against family med, I think OB/GYN or Pediatrics is still higher in the running for my future specialty choice...but only time will tell!