In 2021, AMO hosted a rotation giveaway photo and blog contest open to all visitors. We asked visitors to share photos from their AMO clinical experience and share a little bit about what made their experience so wonderful.
After reading through a ton of great submissions, we are so excited to finally announce our winner…Mariana!
From Canada, Mariana studies in Ireland and completed her rotation in Cardiology in New York in 2021.
Read her story below!
A Doctor’s Trust Makes an Enriching Experience
I thoroughly enjoyed my cardiology rotation in New York. I have taken more histories and done more physical exams in those four weeks than I have throughout all of medical school! AMO is such a great program and I would recommend it to any international medical student who would like to get hands-on experience and learn about the American medical system. I found the process of applying, submitting all my documents, and traveling to my rotation very straightforward and my coach was there every step of the way to answer any questions I had.
Once in the rotation, the doctor exemplified the gold standard of the patient-physician relationship. He took the time to listen to every patient’s concerns and treated them with a very holistic approach. The empathy and trust he has with his patients is something I desire to have as a future physician. The doctor also had trust in his students and he gave us responsibility, which was nice. I go to medical school in Ireland, and the culture there for medical students is that we shadow or observe more than have hands-on experience.
It was very enriching to my learning to have the responsibility to see my own patients. I was able to take a thorough history, review medications, and perform a cardiovascular exam on each patient on my own. Then, when the doctor came in, I presented the history and exam findings and we discussed test results and the management plan with the patient. I had not had a lot of experience presenting histories, so this was very helpful and good practice for me. We also learned to use the online medical records system and I learned more technical aspects such as renewing prescriptions, insurance, and billing.
Throughout the consultations, the doctor always took the time to explain the interpretation of each test result he was reviewing, such as ECGs, Echos, Doppler studies, and stress tests. We also had tutorials on several topics including ECGs, ECHOs, and stress tests.
Not only did I learn a lot of hands-on skills that I will keep with me and continue to grow throughout my medical training, I also improved on my soft skills and critical thinking skills. When we were seeing patients together, the doctor gave students lots of autonomy and would ask us questions like “what would you do for this patient if you were their doctor?” This allowed me to grow my critical thinking and clinical decision-making skills. I will use these skills and continue to grow them throughout my medical career.
Lastly, all of the staff at the clinic I was rotating at were so kind, helpful, and welcoming. I also became friends with the three other students I was rotating with and got to learn about what studying medicine was like in their home country. All in all my experience with my AMO rotation was a 10/10 and I would recommend to all international medical students to strongly consider doing a rotation through AMO.
