Dave Lawrence P.
Lagatuz OLFU JULY 2024 ROTATOR
REFLECTION PAPER
Assessing my pediatrics rotation, I learned a lot of indispensable knowledge in handling
pediatric patients. My first two rotations were in Pediatrics and I was not able to appreciate and
cherish the rotation because I was still adjusting to clerkship. My first rotation had minimal posts
which only consisted of ER AND PICU due to this I was not able to grasp more of my rotation in
this department. This rotation was a great opportunity to experience and cherish this rotation
again. I was not even shocked that this rotation would be repeated in my clerkship. Maybe it
was meant for me to have this rotation to make up my mind on Pediatrics.
My first day was very memorable because it was my first time having a LRDR post in
Pediatrics. I performed a lot of skills like Ballard scoring, observing and performing EINC
correctly, and injecting Hep B and Vitamin K intramuscularly. The proper way of performing a
physical examination in a neonate is the most important skill I have ever acquired. Waiting for
the mothers to have their baby outed was exciting because we will never know if the baby can
make it out alive or not. I once encountered a fetal hydrocephalus and we performed
cardiopulmonary resuscitation on that baby. Watchful waiting for the baby to be outed while
performing a cesarean section was an amazing experience. Because of this, I am now confident
and skilled enough for my succeeding LRDR posts in my internship. This was an essential and
fruitful post for me.
The ER post was my most intense duty. My last ER post was four months ago so I
adjusted my pace on interviewing patients. I learned how to properly compute the dosage for
pediatric patients, fluid hydration, and maintenance rate, assessing if the patient belongs to this
category of the severity of dehydration. The consultants were teaching us and I appreciated it. I
improved my history taking in this rotation. I took note of the pertinent positive and negative
findings, especially on my physical examination. My ER post after the typhoon was toxic but I
did my best by being efficient at that time and discharged our patients by the end of our duty. I
was also grateful for my interns on duty at that time because they were guiding and teaching us.
My ER post was my last duty as a clerk which was a good way to end my one year of clerkship.
The outpatient department post was manageable despite having many patients. The
importance of having the neonate followed up was very necessary. I also encountered patients
on my ward post at that time. Breastfeeding was an important process for the baby. Bottle
feeding was prohibited at OPD. Proper history taking for neonate and infants were different. The
residents were teaching us how to properly assess the neonate delicately and in detailed.
Despite of having few OPD posts, I was able to fully appreciate this post.
The ward post provided a lot of errands but it was manageable. I encountered a lot of
cases. While taking the vital signs of the patients, I took time to talk to parents about their
reactions and what happened to their children because I wanted to improve my communication
skills and I admired talking to the parents. Updating the census was an important task and I
enjoyed doing the task to be able to help the doctors on duty updated on the status of the
patients. The residents were teaching us. I enjoyed joining their rounds. I valued joining rounds
to gain a lot more knowledge on the cases of the patient. I did ask a lot of questions and was
honest that I did not know the answers. I was willing to learn a lot about different cases. Taking a
picture of the Chest X-ray of the patients provided a lot of learning for me because I was keen
on analyzing their findings. I encountered a lot of cases in the respiratory ward. I studied some
of the interesting cases in the ward.
Overall, this was an important rotation for me. The consultants were very
accommodating and acknowledged us as a part of the team. I was not intimated that I was not
able to answer correctly because they shared their knowledge. The admitting conferences
taught me a lot of knowledge. This was one of my best rotations. This rotation was a good way
to end my clerkship. I will never forget our clerks’ monitor for being accommodating and
approachable to us. I will always be thankful for this department.