Tag: 6

The title of today’s post is inspired by a little kid who could only say “puffs”.

Today began like most other days at Carolina Kids Pediatrics. Even though we started at 9:30 instead of 8:30, we saw a few sick visits before diving into regulars. I began with Dr. Emmet as we saw a 6 month old child who ate the same food as his parents- only it was blended to a puree. Between vegetables, fruits, and meats, the child surely received enough nutrients. Later, we saw some older kids with regular cough/fever/stomach pains. Although some of the kids had slept for 12 hours, they still felt poorly. At that point, Dr. Emmet recommended that the kids take a medicine called Zofran to relieve nausea.

After a few visits with Dr. Emmet, I tagged along with Dr. Willey. I watched as she navigated the patient portal app on the practice ipads. Over the course of my work experience, I’ve learned a lot about the technological advantages of online medicine. Dr. Willey uses the iPad to respond to patient questions sent through the portal, look at growth curves, and use Rapid Connect. Rapid Connect is an app that allows doctors to communicate with specialists through HIPPA compliant texts. Dr. Willey loves using the application because she gets a response within a minute, allowing her to have easy access to other doctors when she need a consult.

In addition to working with the iPad, the doctors also have a seamless system to work with the nurses. The picture today shows the island where the nurses place the patient’s chart once the patient is in the room and ready for the doctor. The black file holder in the back left is for the sick visits, which are open to any doctor. I’ve only seen good things come from their system of checking in patients, seeing as the nurses move patients into their room quickly so they can be seen by the doctor.

Overall, today was an awesome day at Carolina Kids Pediatrics. The fun facts section really sums up some of the crazy and fun things from today. I’m so sad tomorrow is my last day. I’ve learned an insurmountable amount of information from not only Dr. Willey, but the rest of the crew at Carolina Kids. They treat all their patients with pure respect and care. I am so thankful to have been able to shadow so many doctors and learn about pediatrics with them. Although tomorrow is the last day, I can’t wait to learn more.

Fun Facts:
– Dr. Willey got a new phone!
– Keeping a pacifier at bedtime only can help ease kids off their habits and promote sleep.
– 72 degrees is the optimal temperature for a child’s bedroom.
– A one year old spit on Dr. Willey while she was putting fluoride on the teeth.
– Introduce toothpaste (only half a pea is necessary) to kids when they’re around 2 years old.
– A child found and consumed first piece of meat after finding it half chewed on the floor.
– When a child has extra digits, you just tie them off to restrict blood flow and eventually the area will die and fall off.
– The bags under a one year old’s eyes can be called allergic shiners.
– A dehydrated child’s belly will not bounce back when poked.
– A problem on the hearing test can be caused by a build up of fluid in the ears.

The picture above depicts the nurse schedule. Each nurse is assigned a doctor, meaning they will take the height, weight and basic reason for the visit before the doctor goes in. Also, the nurses will clean and set up the room before the next patient arrives. The nurses also give shots, which can be a very sad task.

Today at Carolina Kids Pediatrics was different than all the other days. When I arrived, Dr. Willey and I guessed there would be very few teenagers coming in since it is finals week. However, after one or two sick visits, she noticed she had almost all teenagers today. So instead, I did some other activities!

Since I do not go with Dr. Willey for teenage visits, I read a lot from the numerous textbooks they have in the office. I began the morning reading about “hot tub” or “whirlpool” folliculitis. The irritation goes deep into the hair follicle, causing raised red bumps. After a visit with a two year old, I read about ringworm. The passage shattered my own preconceptions. Ringworm, or Tinea Corporis, forms on the trunk, limbs or face. Initially, ringworm appears as numerous localized bumps. After a few days a circular border encloses the bumps, hence the name “ringworm”. The area and bumps are usually 1-10 centimeters in length and can appear red. Overall, there are numerous skin infections that can arise in young children as they experiment with new foods and environments.

In addition to seeing all sorts of patients, the doctors and nurses also listened to a presentation during lunch today. Though drug reps usually bring lunch and sell their product, an endocrinologists came by today to present about growth patterns in children. His main message was that accurate measurements can make a huge difference in a child’s life. Dr. Thomas went through several cases of patients who presented with stunted growth patterns that led to future complications. In the end, he stressed the importance of tracking a child’s growth from birth to adulthood. The biggest thing I learned from the talk was that growth abnormalities can present at any stage in life, not just puberty. The food they brought in was also very good, and it proved to be a delicious supplement to my lunch from home!

I closed off the day with a few visits with Dr. Emmet, seeing as Dr. Willey had a lot of teenagers. We saw babies for their 6 month and 15 month visits. Dr. Emmet put fluoride on the teeth of both kids since they typically do not see the dentist until 3 years of age. Overall, today was a great day. I feel like I am figuring out the pattern of pediatrics while also being exposed to new things everyday! I can’t wait for tomorrow!

Fun Facts:
– You can spray the car seat or stroller with bug spray to protect the child without hurting their skin.
– Some babies wear mittens because their nails can scratch their face.
– Thrush is a fungal infection that can cause a white substance to appear in the mouth behind the lip and in the cheeks.
– Moro response is a primitive reaction in newborns to a loud noise or change in head position.
– Test a one month old’s development with a single tongue depressor. See if the child can hold it.
– At 6 to 9 months, the patient should be able to hold two tongue depressors.