I completed my geriatrics rotation in an outpatient clinic setting at Metropolitan Hospital. I am very grateful for this experience as the setting had a caring staff who was dedicated to student teaching. Each physician and resident took the time out of their day to speak with me and make sure that I had learned something during the day. Additionally, this rotation taught me the value of patience and thoroughness when interacting with patients. The geriatric outpatient setting allows for my time to be spent with each patient. Furthermore, a thorough assessment in medical history, current health status, and medication reconciliation is crucial in optimizing patient care for the elderly. Although allotment of time with each patient may not be available in every healthcare setting, I believe it is important to utilize this type of practice whenever possible. Patients often travel far and have waited for a long time prior to seeing a provider. They are also typically in a vulnerable position due to inquiry over their health status. A provider should spend adequate time to give the care the patient requires. The geriatric location also taught me to pay attention to lifestyle factors that could influence in the patient’s presentation and treatment plan. When formulating a diagnosis and treatment plan, providers may look at the patient’s presentation at hand. However, factors such as profession, caretakers in the house, and living situation can contribute to the patient’s condition and determine likelihood of adherence to medical recommendations outside the healthcare setting. Overall, geriatrics taught me to the value of spending adequate time with a patient and understand them from multiple perspectives in order to develop a proper diagnosis and treatment plan. 

Moving forward, I would like to become more proficient in the dosage of and interactions between medications. Most elderly patients are on multiple medications. The doses often needed to be adjusted if a patient is seen with improvement if if multiple medications caused dizziness and risk of falls. Up to this point, I had seen medications as specific treatment indications for conditions. This rotation taught me to be more mindful how how drugs worked alongside each other to ensure their potentiated effects do not harm the patient.