One of the patients that I had the pleasure of assessing was a gentleman in his forties that had come in to retrieve the lab values from a recent blood draw. He was also planning to have a prescription for antihypertensive medication refilled. Overall, this gentleman appeared to be healthy other than the fact that he is routinely taking prescribed medication for high blood pressure. What I gathered from our conversation was that he takes his medication routinely and regularly checks his blood pressure at home to make sure that the medication is effective. I also learned a lot listening to the doctors and medical students talking about the patients’ illnesses and treatment options. I was lucky enough to have one of the first-year medical students show me how to use a couple of the machines at the location. The first was a machine that tests the hemoglobin (HgA1C) levels in a blood sample and the second was a machine that completes a urinalysis. I thought that it was very interesting to learn about these machines because I had not seen them in use before.
What I have to take away from this experience is that patients visit with healthcare professionals at facilities such as a clinic for various illness and circumstances that may arise in their lives, even down to getting a regular prescription filled. I was impressed at the positive attitudes and proactive behaviors of the patients that I was able to interact with. I really enjoyed this experience. Although, I would have appreciated a more structured beginning to our shift with more orientation to the surroundings and supplies available for us to use.