I was excited to be placed in Redfield, SD for my REHPS experience since home (Bowdle, SD) is only an hour and a half away. Although I was raised in a town much smaller than Redfield, being back in the rural environment has been an adjustment for me since I’ve been away at school for 5 years. I have said hello and waved to people driving by more in the last week than I think I have the whole year I’ve been in Vermillion! It’s good to be back in friendly, rural environment. I have especially loved taking long walks on a bike trail that goes through town and around the outskirts of town.
During week 1, my partner Shelby and I spend time touring the facilities we would be spending time shadowing in to start the week. I spent a few afternoons in the clinic shadowing some of the providers and went on home health visits with the home health nurses. On Friday, Shelby and I spent a whole day out at the South Dakota Developmental Center (SDDC) with Dr. Soundy (a psychiatrist) and a psych resident. They come to SDDC twice a month to provide services to the people who live there. We went out to lunch with Dr. Soundy and some of the staff at SDDC to a restaurant called Leo’s and went to the antique shop in town during our lunch break that day.
Week 2 was spent mostly in the clinic getting to work with each of the providers, a team which consists of MDs, PAs, and a CNP. We also spent time with Aly, a pharmacist who was once a REHPS student here in Redfield, seeing patients who need their Warfarin monitored and spending time in the hospital pharmacy. On Thursday morning, we went to a leadership meeting with Aly. Heads of various departments were there, such as nursing, dietary, maintenance, etc. I found it interesting that this group reads books on leadership and management and talks about them as a group at these meetings. On Friday, I got to spent time in the mobile MRI truck that comes once a week to Redfield. I liked this experience because it was interesting to learn about all the different scans that one MRI test consists of. Shelby and I are looking forward to seeing a movie at the drive-in theater in town this weekend.
Week 3 was filled with a variety of different experiences. On Sunday night, my fiancé came to visit me in Redfield and we went to see Life of the Party at the drive-in movie theater in town. I used to love going to drive-in movies when I was in high school, so it was fun to go to one again. On Monday, Shelby and I spent time shadowing in the lab and with cardiac rehab. Cardiac rehab was good to see because now I know what happens there. On Tuesday, we observed foot care day at Home Health. Both days we also spent some time in the clinic. On Wednesday, I went with Dr. Owens on nursing home rounds which was one of my favorite experiences so far because I enjoy the older population. That afternoon Shelby and I spent some time with PT and watched a med pass at SDDC. I’ve never had any experience with PT so it was good to see some of what they do. Thursday was a full day of clinic. Friday was our last day out at SDDC for more psychiatry visits. It was the psych residents’ last day there so the staff held a potluck for them. The food and the company were both excellent. We also got donuts from the local bakery that morning, which were awesome.
Week 4 came so quick. I’ve become fond of Redfield and the people here and I’m considering coming back for a rural medicine rotation in February. On Monday, we spent time in the clinic and got to see a pharmacy inspection. Tuesday, we spent part of the morning with the hospital nurses, went to a “Med Staff” meeting over lunch which involved various departments and all of the physicians, and spent time in the clinic. Dr. Owens, Aly, and Mike (CEO) took Shelby and I out for supper that night. It was nice to spend time getting to know them outside of the hospital. On Wednesday, Shelby and I went on nursing home rounds with Dr. Owens and spent the afternoon in the clinic. On Thursday morning, I spent time in Randall’s pharmacy, followed by time in the clinic in the afternoon. On Friday, I spent a little time in the clinic before saying goodbye. REHPS has been such a good experience, and I’m glad I could be a part of it.