Reflections ~ Fifth 5x5: Addressing Population Health (Community Health)
Wow! I seriously cannot believe that I just completed my last clinical day of my LAST 5x5 rotation. For those popping into my blog for the first time, welcome! Here at Columbia, we go through 5 specialty rotations (OB, Pediatrics, Psych, Med-Surge, Community) for 5 weeks each (hence the name, 5x5). During the 5 weeks, we dedicate two full clinical days where we are either practicing skills in the hospital or some outpatient clinic.
My community rotation took place in a large clinic in Lower Manhattan. This clinic serves a variety of patient populations (citizens, non-citizens, insured, uninsured) and have plenty staff members who speak Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese) and Spanish. A lot of primary care work is done here which was great to see as that will be my future career as a FNP! Shadowing specifically in the women's health department and primary adult medicine areas were a great insight to what I would be exposed to in my future. I sat in on new patient physical assessments/history taking, "urgent care" cases, prenatal visits, well-woman exams, ENT, etc.
NEXT UP --> INTEGRATION! For the next 6 weeks, I will be working one-on-one with a nurse preceptor. I was assigned to day shifts in PACU (post-anesthesia care unit). It wasn't my top choice of placement, but I am pretty excited to work in this unit. Patients come out of surgery and go into the PACU where I will monitor them, make sure their respiratory efforts return naturally, manage any pain, wound care, patient education, etc. My nursing preceptor seems very welcoming, texting me, asking me what types of things I would like to learn and see. All in all, excited to learn more skills and practice them, unlike during the 5x5s where there were a lot we weren't allowed to do like administer medications and start IVs/draw blood.
Have a great weekend, y'all! It's almost April!
Sincerely,
Meagan