I'm very impressed with the organization of the pediatrics clerkship, so far. The logistics of this clerkship are especially difficult because students do a mix of inpatient and outpatient work, with some maternity wards thrown in. To make matters more complicated, students spend varying amounts of time on each part of the rotation, so everyone's schedule is different. I have two weeks of Urgent Care, a week on inpatient, and three weeks outpatient with a pediatrician in private practice.
Waiting for all the students at orientation this morning were binders with all sorts of useful information: each student's schedule, required assignments, forms to fill out throughout the rotation, grading policies, some selected journal articles and other required reading, etc... These binders looked professional, with color-coded tabs and everything. This may seem inconsequential, but presenting all of this information clearly and organizing it well makes a huge difference in terms of reducing stress and confusion.
Aside from going through the binder section by section, we also had three teaching sessions: infant and child development, pediatric fluids/electrolytes, and pediatric nutrition. All three of these sessions were interesting, engaging, and very relevant for this rotation.
I left the pediatrics orientation feeling like I know what is expected of me in these next 6 weeks and well prepared to meet those expectations.
The comprehensive and well organized information also helps to increase the chances that students will deliver the level of quality care the institution and its medical staff expect. The quality of the information you received speaks well for the hospital, its physicians, staff, and administration.
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