My site evaluator for this rotation was Professor Sadat. During my evaluation, I was joined by several of my classmates: Ricci, Leora, and Kailin.

During my site evaluation, I presented a focused H&P.

One case involved a 35yo Female patient that came in with “cough, sore throat, and sinus pressure x 1wk.” She complained of worsening cough productive of green sputum, fever, and chills. Her physical exam was significant for maxillary and frontal sinuses tender to palpation and percussion and mildly erythematous pharynx. She endorsed a history of frequent sinus infections for which she usually sees ENT. The patient was diagnosed with Acute Sinusitis and treated with Amoxicillin-Clavulanate Tablet 875-125mg 1 tablet orally q12h x 10d. We reviewed the most common pathogens associated with Acute Sinusitis.

I presented a journal article related to the above case. It was a review article from the New England Journal of Medicine. This article provided an overview of the signs and symptoms of sinusitis, the most common causes, and clinical clues to differentiating between viral and bacterial sinusitis. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, the journal article reviewed when it was appropriate to begin antibiotics in patients with acute sinusitis.

Another case I turned in involved a 22yo Female patient that came in with “Sore throat x 2d.” She stated it began after returning from a trip to Tennessee. She felt like she had “knives in her throat” and also endorsed bilateral ear pain. Physical exam was significant only for moderate pharyngeal erythema. We performed a rapid strep in the office that was positive. We also sent for throat culture as the patient stated that she had a new sexual partner during her trip with unknown STD status. She was diagnosed with Streptococcal Pharyngitis and started on Amoxicillin Tablets 875mg 1 tablet PO q12h x 10d.

We also reviewed many Pharm Cards related to ambulatory medicine. These included Nitrofurantoin, Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim, Naproxen, Penicillin, etc.

My meeting with Professor Sadat was educational and informative. It was highly interactive and he involved all of us while we were discussing each students’ case presentations, journal articles, and Pharm Cards.