For my site evaluations, I met with Professor Maida and two of my classmates. For each site evaluation we were asked to prepare 5 drug cards and one H&P to present. For the final site evaluation we were asked to additionally prepare one journal article pertaining to the diagnosis from our H&P and present the article. These site evaluations stood out to me more than some of the others I’ve had, because instead of presenting our drug cards, Professor Maida had us test our classmates on them. For instance, I would read out one of the drugs I chose, and one of my classmates would have to tell the group about its indications, contraindications, mechanism of action, adverse effects, and so on. I think quizzing us on the drugs actually helped us remember them even better than if we had just presented what we wrote about them. 

When presenting our H&Ps, Professor Maida took the time to give constructive feedback especially regarding the treatment plans. I always feel that the Plan is the most difficult portion of the H&P to construct. Especially in pediatrics, when children can have multiple diseases or symptoms presented at once, it’s important to address all those problems and discuss a plan for each. For instance, since my rotation took place during the Fall-Winter months, I was presented with many cases of upper respiratory infections. Many of the patients I saw had fever, congestion, cough, and sore throat all at once, and each of those complaints needed to be addressed. Additionally, as mentioned in my Rotation Self-Reflection, dosing was especially important in pediatrics, which was another thing Professor Maida paid careful attention to. Finally, not all medications for URI symptoms can be used in the younger pediatric population. For instance, Motrin must be used instead of Advil, and while Bromfed can be used for cough and congestion, its dosing is is extremely important to avoid hallucinations and other serious adverse effects. 

Finally, I learned a lot from my classmates whom I was grouped with. While I was working in the outpatient office setting, both of my classmates were in the pediatrics ER. They were therefore able to present on some more serious cases and go through more extensive workups, since compared to an office, an emergency room is equipped with more tests and imaging. Their presentations definitely helped extend my knowledge in this field and helped me work through steps I might’ve taken if I had access to various other equipment. Overall, my professor and classmates helped make my site evaluation an educational and constructive one!