Cardiology Shadowing: Initial Thoughts and Overall Impression

#CardiologyClinic

Getting Started

After shadowing with the Family Medicine clinic for most of my summer, I wanted to venture into another specialization of medicine. Just as I explained in my Medical Shadowing Guide, my first steps were heading to google to find nearby medical facilities. This particular clinic didn't respond to my emails, but when I gave the front desk a call, my shadowing conversation had begun. I started shadowing for 3-4 hours sessions, one a week. Because it was a private clinic, the scheduling was quite relaxed, they essentially explained that I could come and go as I pleased.

A Different Environment

Even walking into the clinic I was already feeling the pressure. The family practice that I had shadowed previously was significantly smaller with a much more homey feel. Now in the cardiology clinic, there were technicians, nurses, office staff, and doctors roaming the halls. Patients filled the waiting room constantly and there was always a backlog of patient appointments. Even at the 9 am start of the day, there were more than ten people.

As far as the people, everyone was quite excited about their job and had a very friendly atmosphere among the staff. The cardiologist himself was very knowledgeable, quite funny, and very compassionate with his patients. I was able to have a long conversation with one of the surgical techs who described the positives and negatives of the cardiology clinic. He said the work they perform is quite rewarding as a whole, but there are many harder days that can result in hours of overtime spent in the office. Doc also explained that there are many days when he says later just to analyze patient notes and facts to best prepare for their condition, even if the patients aren't directly present.

Patient Interactions

You might have seen some of my previous posts explaining interesting or peculiar cases or patient interactions. In the cardiology clinic, many of the patients were present for regular check-ins based on their current or preexisting conditions. Thus, many of the interactions I had were rather quick and I didn't get to dive deeper into their condition or personality. Furthermore, even my notes on patient cases weren't often too detailed, as they typically had a similar process within their appointment that went as follows:

1. Asking patients about general health concerns

2. Checking EKG/Pacemaker/Echo data to see for any inconsistencies

3. Asking and confirming current medication

4. Adjusting medication based on current status and health

5. Consider any other information or concerns the patient may have.

Of course, there were many instances of patients with more serious conditions and effects, and I will be discussing my thoughts on those in future posts. Many of the patients within the cardiology clinic were older patients in their fifties, most likely due to reduced heart health at an older age.

Clinic Difficulties

The main issue with the cardiology clinic was the lack of patient rooms compared to actual patients. There are 4 patient rooms with 1 additional if needed. Appointments were at 30-minute intervals but because of the limited space, it would often take more time to continue. On top, the nursing staff was constantly changing due to the clinic being affiliated with a local hospital. This caused doctor difficulty because they had to constantly describe their preferences and procedures. At one point, while shadowing, I watched a man walk out with his wife after waiting for over 2 hours for their appointment. The nurse explained that this was quite a regular case due to the sheer amount of patients they have at the clinic.

Doc's Advice

Throughout my shadowing, I also gained much health forward and just personal life advice tips. For example, the Doc explained that his job often doesn't end when he leaves the clinic doors, but he stressed the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance within the medical field. When discussing my future college and med school aspirations, the Doc told me that the school I attend doesn't affect how impactful I will be as a doctor. Doc also expressed his dismay at the current state of healthcare becoming more of an insurance game rather than an actual medical process. Sometimes he would ask patients about their insurance before prescribing medication to mediate their costs. There were many other tidbits that the doc would tell me, which I will be sharing the future posts.