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As a clinical student, sometimes the days are long but the weeks and months seem to just zip by. It is hard to believe that it is already fall, and harder still because we had a 80-degree day here in Ann Arbor. (I can’t promise those always in October.)

Our AAP prescription to #PutKids1st

The past six weeks I’ve been on my surgery rotation, which was probably the toughest all year in terms of the hours. Despite the challenge of the rotation, I still made time to travel to Chicago with my research mentor for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference! We gave an oral presentation on how often the AAP recommended newborn discharge criteria are followed at our children’s hospital. It was exciting to share our work with a national audience and hear their feedback and hear how newborn care is handled at their institutions. This was a project that I started through the Summer Biomedical Research Program (SBRP) and have continued through the clinical year. Working on research now happens in bits of borrowed time on rotations, and often gets pushed through when it’s time to meet a deadline.

Before surgery, I had completed ob-gyn, psychiatry, pediatrics and internal medicine. It has been very rewarding this year to feel my knowledge building upon itself. Even when it seems like disciplines would have little in common, I’ve been surprised how much some information is reinforced with each rotation. Learning from my patients — really trying to understand each of their medical conditions, medications and individual histories — has been much more gratifying than spending time with books and slides.

The beautiful beach in Saugatuck, MI

Taking time for breaks and wellness has been essential to thriving this year. A particularly memorable break was spending 24 hours on the west coast of Michigan in Saugatuck with my college roommate and her family! Even just that day gave me enough of a breather to reset and come back with renewed energy after a tough couple of weeks on inpatient pediatrics. Looking forward to finding more ways to recharge with our Step 1 study period coming up!