Cozying up to my copy of Case Files last night was like catching-up with a friend I haven't seen in a while. In anticipation of my obstetrics and gynecology rotation, I pulled out the book for bedtime reading. I've been so nervous about this second phase of my education (from lectures to clinic) that I thought the reading would be a way to busy my mind until sleep took over. That wasn't what happened.
The Case Files series of books, as you might guess, starts each chapter with a new case, asks what the next step of evaluation or treatment is, elaborates on the answer, and then ends with a short quiz. I found myself reading the first page, formulating a response, and turning the page to discover the answer. You know when you fly into town and see a friend that first night? Your plane was late. You're tired. You've got a full-day on your itinerary in the morning, but you and that friend get to talking. The banter is so free and easy. "Oh, my goodness! I bet you totally..." "Yes, I remember that!" And time passes so quickly.
I knew that I'd be thrilled to attend births again, but I had no idea how giddy I would be to flip through our orientation material today. We got our individual schedules for the eight-week rotation this morning. A friend leaned over and asked me what I'm starting with. "Reproductive endocrinology," I squealed in a not-quite whisper. My excitement surprised me.
I've been worried about doing OB as a med student. During my career as a midwife, I have met some wonderfully helpful OBs. That said, I've met many more who would like nothing more than to abolish midwifery. And that mistrust of midwives is inculcated early on in medical education. I've had standardized, board-written questions about Erb-Duchenne palsy caused by a midwife. With well over 90% of babies in this country delivered by physicians, there are undoubtedly more cases of this condition caused by the hands of a physician than a midwife. I've even had case presentations of a baby with a genetic defect who was born at home. Why add that detail? How does knowing the baby was born at home help me differentiate the signs and symptoms of Trisomy 13 from Trisomy 18? The whole premise of tacking on to the case "born at home" is the unstated assumption that all genetic defects are detected prenatally. It perpetuates the myth that interpreting an ultrasound is just as clear-cut as an X-ray of an open femoral fracture. It also implies that midwives never order lab work or ultrasounds for their patients, and they don't believe in risk-assessment and referral. I understand why obstetricians are wary of a profession whose training model is so very different from their own, especially when exam questions reiterate that a midwife-attended birth is the source of most obstetric nightmares. And, yes, I literally shook my head as I read the midwife-attended birth questions on my licensing exam. Of the 308 questions I was asked, I'd estimate that a dozen of them had to do with embryology, pregnancy, reproductive anatomy, and the neonate. There were only three questions that specifically mentioned "birth," and of those, two were a doctor needing to clean up after a midwife.
I'm certainly not without my biases. I love that family doctors have less than half the cesarean rate of obstetricians. I'm not a fan of elective inductions, and I think newborn nurseries need to stop handing out formula samples. (It pains me a little that my hospital isn't designated Baby-Friendly.) I long to be one of the few family physicians in this country that still practice obstetrics, and I appreciate that desire will limit the places that I can work. I also love the breadth of work family doctors do! Because I had a longitudinal family medicine rotation throughout my entire second year of medical school, I was able to see a woman prenatally and then visit with her again at her baby's six-month well-child visit. My favorite days in the family medicine clinic were the ones with a diabetes check-up followed by a joint injection...followed by a 18-month well-child check-up...followed by a new OB physical...followed by a geriatric patient. (Ah! The variety of it all!)
The ob/gyn clerkship and residency directors at my school have been fantastic. They are bright, approachable, and eager to teach us. I have no doubt that I will learn a phenomenal amount over the next two months, just as I did during my family med rotation. My education and training as a midwife focused exclusively on low-risk OB. I was taught how to monitor the normal course of the reproductive year and ensure a quick transfer of care as needed. I'm ready to park my own biases at the door and learn from a new perspective. And there is just so much to learn! When a friend asked me if I was going to study tonight, I just smiled. "There are only two rotations that I truly want to Honor. Family medicine, because that's where I want to go, and this one because....well....just because."
Was there time/scope in the clinics for dx'ing complex undifferentiated patients (the 'zebras' vs. 'horses') or do they get referred out? The well woman/ well baby checks could be a welcome break if seeing too many chronic/complex pathology or OB cases. Please keep writing; your positive attitude is inspiring.
ReplyDeleteDo you mean when I worked as a direct-entry midwife? Time is the great luxury of midwifery care! My prenatal visits were scheduled for 50 minutes. The midwife's model of care entails a physical exam (of course) as well as lengthy discussions to ascertain a detailed health history and explore any new complaints the expectant mother might have. There would be times when the very first meeting with a woman made it apparent that she would need care from a physician instead. Occasionally a woman would need to transfer care later in her pregnancy and her record of care (including labs and such) would go with her to her new provider. As a midwife, I never managed care for women with chronic or complex pathology.
ReplyDelete(And thanks for the encouragement!)