This is my last clinical rotation of fourth-year and that is just ridiculous. Time has flown and now it’s come down to the last three weeks of my time here at the AVC. My goal for this rotation, grab every last possible piece of information that I can get ahold of.
These three weeks have been spent performing a lot of orthopedic examinations and a couple of orthopedic surgeries. We also have done a lot of diagnostic imaging and few other more advanced diagnostics like arthocentesis and biopsies. I definitely have gained a lot more familiarity with orthopedics as this was something I was not super comfortable with before. Repetition is definitely how I learn things, probably how most people do too, but it’s been very helpful for me to be able to do tibial thrust and cranial drawer tests over and over.
I’ve also always been a huge weenie about anything bones. I dreaded seeing my first really horrific fracture or seeing a bone get drilled into because I was afraid I would pass out. Both things happened during this rotation and I’m happy to report that I remained conscious throughout. I feel like I really need to cover a lot of bases regarding things I should know for my future during this rotation. I’m comfortable with the exams as I mentioned earlier, but I think I also have a better sense for some of the surgical options available to my future clients. I might not necessarily ever do these complicated procedures, but I can prepare my clients for what to expect when I refer them to a surgeon.
