Pediatrics Clinical Rotation

POP QUIZ: What pediatric condition is characterized by 3-4 days of a high fever (>103.5F), an abrupt cessation of fever, followed by a non-pruritic maculopapular rash on the neck & trunk?

     I recently finished up my pediatric rotation, and I LOVED every moment of it! For some reason, children in healthcare are so much more enjoyable to work with and treat than adults... I spent the rotation at two different clinics with two different patient populations. I was at an Adolescent Clinic and a General Peds Clinic. I spent 3 days/week at the adolescent clinic seeing patients 10-23 years old and 2 days/week at the general peds clinic seeing patients 1 day old through 4 years old.

Adolescent Clinic:

• Well-child checks, immunizations, sport's physicals, birth control, STI's

General Peds Clinic:

• Well-child checks, acute illnesses, rashes, fevers, education/counseling for feeding & growth/development

     Both locations were phenomenal and my preceptors consisted of MD's, DO's and PA-C's. Each had their own unique way of approaching the patient with the same end goal of total patient health and prevention of disease. I enjoy pediatrics because it is a different approach to typical healthcare. Pediatrics is largely focused on disease prevention or primary prevention while most adult medicine is focused on disease treatment or tertiary prevention. 

     Helpful Information for the Pediatric Rotation:

• Developmental Milestones
• Immunization Schedule

     Our program uses PAEA Exams, and they post a topic list and blueprint for each exam. Below are those categories if you want to see what we are responsible for:

• Peds Topic List
• Peds Exam Blueprint

     Books that helped me ROCK this exam include (the latter two are books for all PANCE topics, not just pediatrics but give a good summary of common pediatric conditions):

• Nelson Essentials of Pediatrics
• The Green Book
• PANCE Prep Pearls

POP QUIZ ANSWER: Roseola (“Roseola Infantum”)

Diet & Exercise

     Let me begin with a little background about myself before discussing this topic. I grew up in sports. Baseball, football, soccer, weightlifting, gymnastics, swimming... if there was a sport that existed, I was going to try it as I grew up! As I entered high school, I stuck with baseball, football and weightlifting because I was a bit overweight, making me less competitive in other sports. By the time high school was over, I was close to 260 lbs, and I hadn't realized how unhealthy I'd become. I was strong and a great weightlifter, but that didn't matter much anymore because I chose not to pursue college athletics. Needless to say, things needed to change.

     Then, college began and my weight fluctuated for the first few years with fad diets and intermittent exercise, but I actually LOST the "freshman 15!" But by the end of my junior year, I was holding steady at around 235 lbs, but was still not satisfied. I was an Exercise and Sport Science major and had some access to a DEXA scan to measure my body fat percentage. Let's just say that was a wake up call, it was much higher than I thought it would be...

     I met a good friend, who eventually became my roommate, who wanted to compete in a "mini" triathlon. I was never really into cardio, and I was scared when he asked if I wanted to join. I said yes, and we began training at the gym. I'm not saying this is the fix-all for everyone, but this is how I lost that stubborn weight... a LOT of motivation and hard work with the help of a dear friend!

• If you want me to share our workout plan, just comment down below, I'd be happy to. Just keep in mind that we had access to a lot of equipment, at UGA's gym.

     By the end of my Junior year, I was sitting just under 200 lbs, and stronger than I'd ever been. I did not get a change to compete in the mini triathlon we signed up for because I attended the wedding of a dear friend, which was far more important. Three years separate the pictures above, it takes time. I finally felt confident, I finally felt healthy. This friend has no idea the impact he had on my life, but I am forever grateful to him. Today, I struggle trying to balance life, school, work, and health... But, that's another topic for another day! The key: find balance, but don't neglect health whether it's mental or physical!

     The short story is, the secret to my success was surrounding myself with those who wanted me to succeed, those who helped me succeed and pushed me when I felt like giving up. Through constant motivation and competition, I was able to lose weight, improve my mental health, and feel healthier overall. There are so many diets/exercises that exist, but you MUST find support in those around you, and find what works for you. The diet that works for John Doe may not work for you!

Patience

We could all use a little patience sometimes. I'm currently on clinical rotations and my preceptor shared this quote with me. I didn't realize I needed this wisdom until later that night... I hope it can shed light on something you're going through.

"Patience with family is love

Patience with others is respect

Patience with yourself is confidence 

Patience with God is faith" 

A Growing Love

A girl so amazing, so beautiful

A girl that has stolen my heart

A girl whose kisses make me delusional

A girl who is driven, who is smart

A moment more precious than a sunset

A moment so wonderful, so grand

A moment that I won’t ever forget

The moment I asked you to take my hand

A relationship built upon trust

A relationship filled with competition

A relationship where wine is a must

A relationship supporting each other’s ambition

A future full of laughter and love

A future with us on the same team

A future I can’t wait to be a part of

The future I see as I dream

New Year's Resolutions

I'm tired of the regular, boring New Year's resolutions each year. So, I'm making a list of some resolutions that I will complete by the end of the year that will still give my life an extra boost, but won't seem so monotonous!

1. Take more photos
- I have been to so many unique places and done some pretty interesting things in my life. I really want to document them better! Although I've always been more of a "I'm there for the experience" type of person, I want to get those photos that I can one day share with my kids or even reminisce a few year later!

2. Do a good deed for someone EVERY day
- Everyone seems to make resolutions to better themselves. While this is great, it is important to remember those around you as well. I can do something as little as a compliment or a smile. Those can go a long way to improve someone's day!

3. Go on a hike once a month
- Yes, I still want to eat healthier and exercise more, but that seems tedious. So, let's make it more interesting! There are so many cool places close to where I live that I can visit and hike. I can even "Take more photos" while I'm there!

4. Try a new restaurant every other week
- I'm not made of money, or I'd try to do this every week! It can also relate to adding in some new food to my diet. So many people seem to cut out food to start the new year. Why not add in some new healthy options as well? There are so many restaurants in Athens I have yet to dine at!

5. Be more social, not just on social media
- Seriously.. I want to turn my phone OFF when I go out to eat with friends. I'm normally pretty social, but there's always an awkward and quiet moment that comes up. So maybe I could throw in some corny joke to lighten the mood! I also want to meet some new people. Being in college is great for that. I have the opportunity every day to meet someone new!

6. Read more books
- I was never a huge fan of reading, but my brain could use a good exercise every now and then!

7. Swim once a week
- As in, an exercise-related swim. Yes, this goes back to the whole exercise thing. But I go to UGA and we have a gym where this is possible! I used to swim a lot over the summer and it's a healthy habit I need to return to. Just keep swimming!