NMP Class of 2022 student Fei Ge, who hails from Victoria, recently completed her final Year 4 elective clinical placement. With only a few months left until she finishes her medical education journey with the UBC Northern Medical Program, she reflected on her recent learning experiences and reaching this moment in time just ahead of graduation.  

What did you do for your last clinical placement?

I did a four-week family medicine - obstetrics elective. It was a hybrid of outpatient clinic and labour and delivery call at BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre. 

What led you to pursue this particular placement?

I'm interested in maternity care and wanted some more hands-on experience in prenatal care, management of labour, and postpartum care. I'd heard great things about the preceptors and learning on this elective, so I ranked it as my top choice for my post CaRMS electives!

What were some highlights of your experience?

The team at BC Women's is super supportive and great at teaching. Some of the highlights have been triaging patients that present to the acute care unit, managing induction of labour, and getting to see some forceps and vacuum-assisted deliveries! I've been able to gain experience in prenatal assessments, workup of pre-eclampsia, and management of post-partum hemorrhage. It's been a very rich and diverse learning experience. 

What was your favourite learning moment?

My favorite learning moment was being able to see a patient in clinic for prenatal care, assessing her when she presented in labour, and helping deliver her new baby! I was also able to follow them while they were in hospital, helped plan for discharge, and saw them in clinic for postpartum follow up and new baby check. The continuity of care is one of my favorite aspects of maternity care. 

With only a couple months left and CaRMS interviews around the corner, how are you feeling about finally reaching this point in your medical education journey?   

I'm a mix of terrified and excited - interviews are coming up soon and I'm looking forward to them but it's definitely nerve-wracking. Now that all of my electives are done I'm taking some time to rest and prep for interviews. Electives are definitely exhausting but looking back I'm super grateful for all the great learning, mentors, and experiences along the way. I'm very excited for Match Day in April, I can't wait to see where we all end up!

Anything else that you would like to add?  

Just that I had a great time on this elective and I think it would be a good fit for anyone with an interest in maternity care!