Why we're here

Andrew started rotations on July 6th. He finally gets to use what he's been studying for the past 2+ years.

His 1st rotation was Rural Family Medicine. He worked with a doctor in a clinic about 45 minutes away in Aledo, IL. He loved it. Family Medicine has definitely moved up on his "what I want to be when I grow up" list. The doctor was great. He really showed Andrew the ropes, not only in medicine, but in running a practice. Andrew loved the staff at the office, and they invited him to come back to take over the practice once he's done with residency. (The doctor is 65, so looking toward retirement...not getting shoved out by Andrew.)

Andrew decided that he loves people in the Midwest. The hardworking, get it done, work through it, attitude. He compares it to working in the ER in Richmond where people wanted everything done for/given to them. At the clinic, he saw an 80+ woman who hurt her back and couldn't stand/bend over very well. But she needed to trim around her yard. So she laid down and cut the grass with scissors, scootched up and cut the next section. He has a million stories of the people he met (no surprise), so ask him if you get the chance.

His 2nd rotation was in Psychiatry. Not Andrew's fave. The doctor he worked with did mainly medication checks. He saw 6 patients an hour (that's in addition to dictation, writing prescriptions, walking the patients in and out of the office). It was pretty difficult for Andrew some days to have people come in and tell about the horrible things they had experienced and then have the doc just up their meds. (Andrew really enjoyed the doctor as a person, just not the type of practice he worked in.)

He's on his 3rd rotation now: Family Medicine. He works with a doctor in the hospital where we'll be having the baby, only 15 minutes from our house. He mainly follows the residents, who are trying to help him learn a lot, so it's good. He's in the clinic doing regular visits and in the hospital doing rounds and check on the ICU, med/surg floor. He's also done a few well-baby checks in the nursery. (He was not very excited to learn that the mother's water broke in the front lawn & out came baby with it... I'm not supposed to loiter in the yard anymore.)

At the end of the month he'll switch to OB/Gyn, then surgery in November. It's been exciting to have him working with patients (the part of medicine that he loves) and hear about the little extra things he's doing to help them improve their lives and health. I am so impressed by his understanding of human nature and individuals; he knows just how to approach a subject or what not to say to get through to even the toughest people.

Like I said, you'll have to ask him for the rest of the stories.