The Ob/Gyn Center at Bethesda North Hospital

Amber Young, Summer 2016

My time spent at Bethesda North Ob/Gyn Center was thoroughly educative and no doubt instrumental in my career development. When I My summer with UHP was extremely educational and really influential in my career path. I came into medical school interested in OB/Gyn and my summer with Bethesda North OB/Gyn clinic confirmed this interest. Being able to interact with patients so early in my career has been one of the highlights of attending UCCoM and I was able to really improve my skills this summer. Because Bethesda North is a teaching hospital, the staff and residents were very instructional and provided me with skills and resources that are instrumental in becoming a good physician, regardless of what specialty I choose.

Since I am interested in practicing medicine in an urban population, I was really drawn patient population at the Bethesda North OB/Gyn Clinic. The population was comprised of women who were mostly uninsured or underinsured as well as a large immigrant population that required foreign language services. I found myself in situations and experiences that were discussed in physician and society and thus I felt very prepared for these encounters. It was humbling and inspiring to hear some of the stories and lives that our patients are living every single day.

Throughout my summer, I was able to improve on my techniques of taking a focused medical history and vitals as well as learn key skills related to obstretics and gynecologic visits. For obstetric visits, I learned how to take a fundal height measurement, listen for fetal heart tones using a portable Doppler machine, and perform an ultrasound on patients for which it was indicated. Furthermore, I was able to learn skills relevant to gynecologic visits including breast exams and pap smears, as well as the importance of getting a good gynecologic history. The residents really allowed and challenged me to get comfortable trying new skills as they fostered an excellent environment for learning. While I was able to improve on my skills medically, I also had inter-professional experiences at Bethesda North Ob/Gyn clinic. Throughout the summer, I was able to not only working with residents and physicians, but also nurse practitioner, midwives, social workers and financial counselors. Through spending time with each of these people, I was able to better understand all of the factors that go into a patient- not just the visit with physicians.

Overall, I am very happy with my decision to do Urban Health Project this summer and I believe it has really prepared me for 3rd year clinical rotations as well as the rest of my career as a physician.