What Dad's Up To

I thought I'd post a few pictures and include some information about what Nate is up to.

He has been in Washington DC for about 3 weeks, and has one more week to go. He is there out there receiving some excellent training in faculty development and sports medicine. Luckily, in between all that he is learning and working on, he has been able to...

...go to the temple 

...do a little birdwatching

...and enjoy the beauty found in that part of the U.S.

He is staying at a Navy Lodge, but also spends some nights in call rooms at the hospital. This particular night was really chilly, and there was no thermostat or extra blanket. He had to use his uniform to help him stay warm.

Today he sent me this picture. They are practicing ultrasound guided injections on pork shoulders. 

Natalie wanted to send Nate a text today. Here's what she wrote and his response:

Since this blog is like our family journal, here is a more detailed description of Nate's experiences from his point of view:

I came to Washington D.C. for two big reasons: Faculty Development fellowship and Sports Medicine fellowship.  The Faculty Development fellowship is a 1-month experience for 3rd-year Family Medicine Residents.  It basically "teaches you how to teach."  It is taught by some of the highest-ranking, most well-known and well-respected doctors in the military, and it is highly competitive. It is awarded to one resident from each service (Army, Navy, Air Force) every year, who is interested in teaching medical students and residents.  Each residency program gets to nominate one resident to compete, and I was selected out of all the Nellis residents.  It was a high honor to then be selected from among all the Air Force applicants nationwide to actually attend the fellowship.  I have had the chance to be taught one-on-one by some high-ranking and gifted teachers.  I have had the chance to teach and evaluate medical students in several settings, including history-taking skills, suturing skills (skin lacerations), and gave a workshop on physical examination of the neck and lumbar spine.  I had a ton of fun with  this!  Another important aspect of the Fac Dev fellowship is research.  I have been working very hard (to say the least) on two big research projects.  I am coauthoring a review article on hip dysplasia (analyzing and summarizing the current medical literature) for American Family Physician, which is the most widely-read journal among family doctors.  We just submitted our second draft to the editors.  Huge undertaking!  My other big project is an actual investigation I am conducting, which evaluates the relationship between obesity and musculoskeletal injuries.  We have a MASSIVE data set, and our analysis of the data shows some very significant results.  I am currently working on writing the manuscript, and have entered a research competition.  I have been invited to present my research at a big conference for military family doctors (may seem like a small group, but there are many hundreds that attend the conference each year). 

The other reason I'm here is the Sports Medicine fellowship.  This is a 1-year training program for board-certified family doctors (who have completed residency and passed boards).  I am basically here to interview for the program next year, and to rotate with them to see how I like the program and for them to see if they like me.  The fellowship teaches management of all musculoskeletal disorders, ranging from sprains to fractures to arthritis to concussions to dislocations and so forth.  We do everything short of surgery, including therapeutic exercise regimens, splinting/casting, pain management, joint injections, physical therapy, etc.  Ultrasound is rapidly becoming an important diagnostic tool for sports medicine doctors, and the military program here at Ft. Belvoir is one of the very first few fellowships to incorporate ultrasound teaching into the curriculum.  This program is ranked among the top 10 in the country!  In addition to seeing patients in clinic, I have had the chance to provide sideline medical coverage for two high school football games and a martial arts tournament.  Definitely a lot of fun!  

On the horizon:  From the looks of things, there is a decent chance I will get selected for the sports fellowship next year.  Normally it is almost impossible to be selected right out of residency, but this year there happen to be very few applicants.  So there is a chance we will be here in D.C. for a one-year fellowship next year.  There is also a chance we will do a sports fellowship at a civilian program somewhere in the U.S. (anywhere).  And if I don't get selected for a sports fellowship this year, we will likely head to Travis AFB (between SF and Sacramento) for a faculty position supervising residents.  All of these options are excellent, so we really can't go wrong!  We will find out on Dec 13th what will happen.