Mentor Assessment #1
Akshitha Sreerangapuri
11/21/2019
I learned a great deal from my first mentor visit, but the most important thing I
realized is that this is the career for me. Before the year began, I knew ISM would tell
me if I can see myself as a pediatrician. I have done a tremendous amount of research
and although internet provides us to get insight into a field, mentors give us a more
accurate representation of how the field works. Thus, even though I was very ecstatic
about the visit, I was also a bit concerned about my first impression about the field. I
value first impressions a great deal, so I was truly happy when my first visit went better
than I ever thought it could.
The visit was about an hour long and to me, it felt like 15 minutes. I came at 8:45
and spoke to Dr. Kumar for about 10 minutes concerning the ISM process. We
addressed how to contact each other during emergencies, talked about the mentor
handbook, and established the frequency of the meetings. After that, I followed Dr.
Kumar and saw 2 patients. They were both 2 year-old boys who came along with their
respective mother. Both of them were closed off from Dr. Kumar but the first one was
more shy and nervous being in the clinic. It was fascinating to see how Dr. Kumar
handled the children because it taught me what I should and shouldn’t do as a
pediatrician. Even though the clinic had cartoon pictures and famous disney characters
on the wall to appeal to the children, the decorations did not seem to make a big
difference. This got me thinking about what I can do to make the children feel more
comfortable at a clinic.
In terms of the content of the visit, I learned what pediatricians should ask
parents with young children (5 years or younger). For example, Dr. Kumar asked both
the mothers if their child is walking, sleeping, jumping, socializing, eating, and
discharging. Being in a psychology class, this made more sense to me and I had no
trouble comprehending the situation. Moreover, I learned what to do when a child fights
against a physical check-up. Often times, children think they are getting a vaccination
while in reality, the doctor is only checking their eyes, ears, and body. In this situation,
the mom needs to reassure the child to show them everything will be fine because they
obviously trust their mothers more than the doctors. This was very important for me to
learn because I realized how crucial it is to think from the child’s perspective. No matter
how happy the clinic looks or how caring the staff are, the doctor only reminds the
children of shots. Thus, they subconsciously get too cautious around the doctor and
stress about the appointment more than they need to.
On another topic, I gave it a lot of thought and I would like my mentor visits to be
longer. I have spoken with Dr. Kumar about the frequency of the meetings and he is fine
with me coming any weekday between 8:30 am and 4 pm. I am very grateful to have
such an understanding mentor who is very passionate about teaching me about
pediatric medicine. As I mentioned earlier, the one hour felt like 15 minutes and I would
like to see more patients in a single visit. Thus, my next step is to consult Mr. Pirtle
about the maximum number of visits I can make in a week and the longest duration of a
visit. I want to either make my visits longer or come more than once a week. If I can do
both, that is even better but that would require me to make up a lot of school work.
As for my mentor, he has 2 daughters who are currently in college and
understands a lot about the stress I have, which is another thing I like about Dr. Kumar.
One of his daughters goes to UT Austin while the other is at Georgia Tech. The fact that
he has mentored ISM students before and comprehends my work load outside of school
makes me feel more comfortable about him being my mentor. Therefore, I am very
thankful I have the opportunity to learn about the field from a successful professional.
Overall, my first visit proved to be a success in many ways. I now know what
questions to ask parents with young children, how to properly handle uncooperative
children, and what steps to take in an appointment. Dr. Kumar first addressed the
parents' concerns, checked the child’s eyes and ears, and compared the child’s BMI
with other children in the United States in order to conclude if the child is abnormal in
any aspect.
I am going to apply the knowledge I have gained by ensuring I become a
successful pediatrician. For instance, when Dr. Kumar was providing a solution to the
2nd patient’s constipation issue, I made sure to take notes and look more into the
miralax powder he suggested to the parent. By shadowing Dr. Kumar, I am giving
myself a head start because I am learning what solution is required for a certain
problem. Thus, my goals for the next visit include taking more notes and researching
more about the common issues on my own. This will not only allow me to increase my
knowledge about the field but also ensure I am going in the right direction.
