A special mentor

The second half of my pediatrics clerkship was much better than the first half. This was partially thanks to working in a practice that focuses on special needs children, an interesting twist to what otherwise would have been three weeks of garden variety ear infections, upper respiratory infections, and stomach aches. But I mainly attribute the quality of my outpatient pediatrics experience to my preceptor. She's a role model for the kind of physician I hope to become, even if I won't be going into pediatrics.

She makes a real difference in her patients' lives; they travel surprising distances just to see her. She is a passionate advocate for her patients' physical and mental health in the context of an often hostile health care system. She is an excellent clinician, able to identify the rarest diseases with simple observations accumulated over her decades-long career. And in her spare time, she has traveled throughout the world participating in medical aid missions. She loves what she does and gains true satisfaction from her work.

I wish I could have spent more time with her.