She's now the sole provider in the family, paying the bills, running the household. A lot of the problems that these patients bring have no solution. I was taught that our job is to ask patients how they're doing and whether or not they're eating well, and to interact with and manage patients at a very hard time in their lives. Patricia Thomas, M.D., coordinator of the clerkship, agrees, noting that the dynamics of health care today make it imperative that tomorrow's doctors have both a better understanding of ambulatory care and an even stronger relationship with their patients. Whether or not the ambulatory patient fills the prescription or goes for the next lab test, says Thomas, depends more and more on the physician-patient relationship.
Students also discuss career options with their preceptors.
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