After completing two semesters of Clinical Correlations, I definitely feel I have gained much more knowledge and understanding from being able to apply concepts learned throughout the didactic year as well as practice presenting cases and breaking news to patients, the latter of which involved more of an informed dialogue when needing to explain a diagnosis to a patient and the ability to respond to push-back in real time. The sessions helped solidify the relationships between certain signs and symptoms and the processes underlying them, especially with respect to lab and imaging findings, which were important in the diagnosis of each case when narrowing down differentials. Still, the cases became more diverse and complex over time, which emphasized the idea that “the patients don’t read the textbooks” and thus the importance of keeping a broad differential at times, as patients may present less typically than what I may have in mind due to other conditions that may be going on. During sessions, my group was able to more thoroughly work through some of these cases, at times on a step-by-step basis, to better understand each test/order and the reasons for each. Further, we explored alternative if/then scenarios had patients presented differently with other pertinent findings or history, which personally helped keep me and my mind actively engaged. We also were able to review and consider pharmacologic agents throughout some of our cases, which was beneficial in applying our knowledge of certain drugs.

Through my presentations, I was able to practice using my voice more than I am used to. I felt I was able to focus on the main points of the topics I researched and worked on and found a good balance between being concise and appropriately thorough. I primarily used Access Medicine and UpToDate as my sources for presentations, which were both very informative. Additionally, if I had trouble finding information, I used Google Scholar to find relevant articles and studies on my topic, which also proved to be valuable.

Undoubtedly, during discussions, there were moments I felt frustrated by my fear of being wrong or not knowing as much as I should, but over time, I was able to gain more confidence and progress throughout the sessions. I found that a number times I was actually spot on in my thinking, which was reassuring. My classmates were also incredibly encouraging and supportive, making the experience one I feel blessed to have shared with such a great group.