Before starting into the Ambulatory Medicine rotation at Nao Medical, I had a preconceived idea that this was a specialty geared towards treating a broad range of acute illnesses. I thought AM was a generalized field that focused on managing multi-organ system issues. Only until I rotated, I discovered that emergency medicine is a complex practice and a web of influence. Ambulatory medicine is critical in providing direct and efficient care to an individual with acute conditions. Unlike other specialties that are limited to a particular organ or disease, urgent care providers are the only specialists qualified to treat most ailments and provide comprehensive health care for people of all ages — from toddlers to seniors. Overall, AM is a very cerebral field, meaning AM clinicians are constantly thinking about the pathophysiology of disease processes in order to effectively treat patients while managing disposition plans. For example, patients that come in for dizziness episodes must quickly be worked up for the different etiologies that present as such. This requires thinking about endocrine, cardiovascular, neurological, and infectious physiology to frame the workup needed in a timely manner or if they need to be sent to the ED.

Ambulatory medicine is a practice that affords clinicians to master and provide wholesome medicine. What I was most happy to learn during this rotation, was the amount of patient education is involved in this field. Although not easy, it was rewarding to see patients understand the idea behind their treatment, lab work, disease pathology and what they are meant for. Something I was most surprised to learn in this rotation, was how broad differential diagnosis should be because many conditions can present atypically. I also learned the importance of disposition in the urgent care setting because its easy to miss something very. critical. As a future provider, this is something I hope navigate well so that it is not at the expense of a patient’s health.

Going forward, I will use my experience from AM and try to approach patients with a wholesome scope of practice before narrowing down. AM clinicians are experts in well-rounded management, patient education, interpersonal skills, and analytical thinking – so I am looking forward to mastering this to provide the best care I can offer my patients.