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Surviving PA School - Family Medicine Rotation

Surviving PA School – Family Medicine Rotation

1. Find out the flow

Try to find out what the flow is like at your family med rotation. All are structured a little differently, and have different goals of the wellness exam. Ask your preceptor how they like to go about things and try to adopt their methods to do the visit as they would. This can be what they include in their physical exam, or history information they like to have gathered. Write these things down to reference until they are second nature for you on the rotation.

2. Notes

Figure out your best note-taking method. This depends on both personal preference and the site. Some sites may or may not allow you to have a laptop or iPad which may be your note preference. The rotations I had did allow this, which worked great because I personally tend to opt for electronic notes. If using paper, I would convert it to be typed up later for organizational purposes. Find out what method works for you!

3. Appointment types

There are usually distinct appointment types for family medicine. You can anticipate that there will be a wellness exam or annual check-up types of appointment. Additionally, there are follow-up appointments which are usually more individual, isolated complaints. There can also be sick visits, which usually implies a same day add-on. Try to find out what types of appointments you can expect throughout your rotations.

4. Continuity

In family medicine, many of the patients will have been going to the practice for years. Many will also be one of many family members that are seen by the same provider. You as the student will be a new face and not who they usually see, so keep that in mind when you are seeing patients. There is also a lot of continuity of care where you could see the same patient multiple times within a rotation. This is nice because then you can see how their condition(s) have progressed and how they are doing as time passes.

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5. Be prepared

Prior to your first day, try to find out helpful information. This includes finding out the dress code (scrubs vs. business casual), if you need your white coat, any medical supplies you’ll need to bring (like your stethoscope), and any resources that would be helpful to review. Have your medical apps and resources downloaded and ready to go. Make sure you have your method of note-taking handy. And don’t forget to bring snacks/water, just in case.

Check out our other article on PA school rotations “PA School Tips: Surviving your Surgery Rotation”

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