A while back, I wrote about doing your best on rotations. Putting your best foot forward and being part of team and getting the most out of your time as a student.
I got this response from Amy,
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I had to laugh at today’s email because of a scenario at my current rotation today.
I went in to see a patient and introduced myself, just as you suggested, “Hi, my name is Amy, I’m a PA student.” Her response: “I hate students.” I clearly didn’t take it too hard, but when i read that section in your email, I laughed a little extra.
Thanks for these daily emails! I look forward to them 🙂
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This was great. Loved it. So many crazy things happen on rotations. So many crazy things happen once you’re a full-fledged PA-C. This may not have been the most fun experience for Amy, but it was a really good one. Really valuable.
How many times have I walked into a room and the patient has said in a cranky voice, “What’s a PA?” More than I can count, that’s how many.
Or they thought I looked way too young to be practicing medicine despite the fact that I was almost 30 when I graduated.
I had to turn those people around and quick. You only have a few moments to sway them to your side. Get them to trust you so you can figure out what the problem is. If patients don’t like and trust you, they won’t tell you the problem. They might tell you something, but you’ll never be able to help them. Not everyone is going to want to see you. Not everyone is going want to see a PA. That’s just how it goes.
Practicing this as a student, although not fun, is a great experience.
It will happen you as a student and it will happen to you as a PA-C (don’t think we’re special). It happens to docs, NPs, nurses, pretty much everyone. You’ve got to learn to deal with it. You’ve got to learn to turn them around. Personally, I think it’s a lot of fun to take someone who doesn’t want to see you and turn them into your most loyal patient. It’s surprisingly not that hard to do.
While we’re on the subject of learning things, and if you want to trade in that S after your name for a C, you might want to pick up a copy of The Final Step. Use that book and you’ll learn your medical key terms backwards and forwards so that you can pass your exams.
Brian Wallace
