Overall, this rotation was an excellent experience and one that I found particularly enjoyable due to the fast-paced nature of the outpatient urgent care setting. The rotation exposed me to a wide variety of acute complaints and allowed me to build upon skills developed during my previous rotations while becoming more comfortable with rapid assessment and decision-making. I frequently evaluated bread and butter urgent care presentations, including upper respiratory infections, pharyngitis, viral gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis, otitis media and externa, urinary tract infections, chest pain, abdominal pain, and musculoskeletal injuries.

Throughout the rotation, I significantly strengthened my clinical reasoning skills by developing broader differential diagnoses, recognizing red flag symptoms, and determining which patients could be safely managed in the outpatient setting versus those requiring emergency department evaluation. I also became much more confident in my musculoskeletal examinations and treatment plans. While musculoskeletal complaints were initially an area where I felt less comfortable, as I was not exposed to many in my rotations thus far, repeated exposure to injuries and fractures helped improve both my evaluation skills and management decisions. Additionally, I gained experience interpreting EKGs, chest XRs, and extremity XRs, which further enhanced my diagnostic abilities.

Procedurally, I was fortunate to have a high degree of autonomy and was able to perform numerous suturing repairs involving fingers, joints, and forehead lacerations, as well as staple and suture removals, wound care with Dermabond and dressings, tetanus immunizations, splinting, EKG, and various rapid tests. I appreciated being trusted with procedures and patient workups, and I felt that this autonomy greatly improved my confidence as a future clinician. My preceptor frequently allowed me to formulate independent assessments and plans before reviewing them together, often agreeing with my management approach or providing valuable refinements to strengthen my clinical reasoning.

Some of the most memorable cases I encountered included working up a patient with an acute anterior STEMI, suspected acute cholecystitis, a comminuted fibular fracture, an Achilles tendon rupture, and a possible autoimmune urticarial eruption. These cases reinforced the importance of maintaining a broad differential diagnosis while recognizing time-sensitive conditions that require urgent intervention. Overall, this rotation strengthened my procedural skills, efficiency, and confidence in managing both common and potentially serious presentations. It was one of the rotations where I felt the most independent as a student and confirmed my enjoyment of fast-paced ambulatory medicine.