As someone aspiring to enter the medical field, I found that my three-week internship at Tufts Medical Center was a highly valuable opportunity to see the layers of healthcare firsthand. Observing both inpatient care and the outpatient clinic, I shadowed Dineli Ahearn, an internal medicine specialist and primary care physician, as she managed cases alongside her incredible teams.
For the first week, I observed Dr. Ahearn’s process for inpatient care, which started with morning rounds each day to check in with patients followed by a meeting with the case managers to discuss plans for care. I observed as she worked with a team of three residents and two medical students, allowing me to understand the workflow used by doctors to manage patients over several days. In the outpatient clinic, I watched Dr. Ahearn meet with patients for routine physicals and followups, and I helped the medical assistants and coordinators with tasks like faxing, restocking supplies, checking expiration dates, and cleaning and sanitizing exam rooms.
I observed how Dr. Ahearn built relationships with her patients, some of whom she had known for decades. This experience gave me a new appreciation for a healthcare provider’s empathy and bedside manner skills, which create trust in order to deliver effective care.
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