Gaining a deeper understanding of family medicine
Emmanuella Adjei is a second-year College of Medicine student from Columbus, Ohio. She completed a summer clinical experience through the Leroy A. Rodgers, M.D., Preceptorship Program. She shared her reflections on the experience with The Pulse.
Can you describe your summer experience?
This summer, I participated in the Leroy Rodgers Program for a month. Organized by the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) and coordinated by NEOMED’s Department of Family and Community Medicine, this preceptorship program offered me the opportunity to work closely with a family physician of my choice without being limited locally. It provided me with valuable experience and a deeper understanding of family medicine.
What did you learn from this experience and how will it impact your career?
My Leroy Rodgers experience gave me a new perspective of family medicine and allowed me to see the specialty beyond patient interactions. I got to witness the relationships that my preceptor shared with his 1,000+ panel of patients. Each patient came in with their unique histories and lists of acute and/or chronic issues, and it was astonishing to see how well my preceptor knew each of them and kept track of their medical conditions. Beyond the patient interactions, I also got to observe the work that went on behind the scenes with charting, communicating with insurance companies, and managing responsibilities as a physician in a private practice. Overall, these observations and conversations provided me with a new outlook on a family medicine career.
How did you find and obtain this experience?
I initially learned about this experience through a PDAT mentor during my orientation week. I later received more information about it through an email sent by the Department of Family and Community Medicine in January.
Do you have any advice for students interested in something similar?
My advice for participating in this program is to make the most of the experience and communicate your goals for the program to your preceptor early on. Through the orientation process, you will realize how different each person’s experience in the program is. This is further influenced by the preceptor you choose and the location of the practice. The OAFP was a great resource for connecting with a preceptor for the program.
Anything else you would like to add?
Feel free to reach out to me if you have other questions about the Leroy Rodgers Program! (eadjei@neomed.edu). Also, check out the Family Medicine Interest Group on Campus Groups for more opportunities to learn about family medicine!
Students: Share your experiences
Did you have recent research experience or inspiring clinical experience? Share it with the Pulse! Send your reflection with a photo to thepulse@neomed.edu or submit online.