day 2: some firsts!

Today was my second day of rotations ever. I got to see a couple patients on my own briefly to report back to the MD I was with. It's nerve wracking when you are the one doing it. I'm still working on getting a routine down and getting familiar with the computer system. The other major new thing that happened was that one of the patients we saw today was diagnosed with leukemia. This little boy had been in for a few visits, with some other health concerns that didn't really point to the cancer diagnosis. From the diagnostic tests today, it revealed this abnormality. Uff. Try explaining that one to concerned parents. Goodness. No one wants to hear that they have cancer, much less their child. Fortunately the prognosis is pretty good, with treatment kiddos tend to do well. It was the first time my precepting physician had to give that diagnosis to her clients. Rough. Working in health care - you get to see the behind the scenes stuff that physicians do - like trying to check with the insurance company to see where they can refer this patient for oncologic services to be prepared with information for the concerned party.