Linda Scheider: First Days in the Geriatric Clinic BACK

Published by AFAR

This is my second week working as an MSTAR student. Fortunately, the only obstacles I have faced so far are administrative. I am almost through the maze of administration required to have an employee ID, access to the office, access to the computers, and access to the chart system. Everyone is the office has been so welcoming and friendly. They truly operate with a team based mentality in every aspect of work, research, and practice. At this point, I am putting the finishing touches on my Access database, which I will be using to take data for my project. I was able to hammer out the parameters I will be collecting in my project in the last few days with my mentors. I have done some preliminary exploring in the chart system with my mentor to make sure I understand how to use the program and I made sure all the parameters I wish to collect can be easily located in the patient’s charts.

This morning I was able to shadow in the Geriatric Clinic. I really enjoyed this experience. As a first year medical student, I was really interested to see so many patients with positive findings. I heard three heart murmurs this morning, and practiced grading them. Two patients were in the clinic with chronic ulcers and I watched the wound care required for these types of injuries. It is very informative to hear many of the patients talk about the bad doctors that they were at before and how much more they appreciate the care they are getting in this clinic. I believe the success is mainly due to the open communication approach taken by the practitioners here. This allows the patients to make informed decisions, feel more comfortable, and confident in their care. These are some of the lessons that I hope will shape the doctor I become.

 

Linda Scheider
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

"Diary of an MSTAR Student" follows scholars in the 2011 Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) Program, highlighting their summer experiences. As they continue their path of research, training and clinical practice, read their daily thoughts at www.afar.org/mstarblog. New diary entries are posted every day, so check back soon.