I Heart Kids

The third pediatric preceptor session took place this afternoon, and even though the community clinic is located in Oakland and I have to take the Muni, Bart, and bus to get there...I actually don't mind that much because 1) I really like my preceptor 2) I really like the site and 3) 4 sessions is totally do-able. Today, we focused on developmental stages and learning how to use the Denver II charts for well-child visits, etc. What amazes me is that I didn't see a single English-speaking patient/family today! Through a combination of Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese (this one with an interpreter), my preceptor and I interviewed the parents of a 2 month-old, 17-month-old, 2-year-old, 6-year-old, and 3-year-old. It really is gratifying to work at a community clinic, especially with little kids!

Speaking of tweens, I learned that my PedPAL is still in the hospital after a month. She had aplastic anemia and a bone marrow transplant about 18 months ago, but she seems to be at the hospital more often lately. Since she can't go back to school or have much contact with the outside world, it feels to me like much of her life has been postponed or put on hold until she's more healthy, but as a result most of the time she seems very bored (at home and at the hospital). I'm not quite sure how to alleviate her boredom, I wonder if she's read Harry Potter yet.