I am thankful to Dr. Usman Khan for the wonderful opportunity to rotate with him as an extern at HCA Houston Healthcare, Northwest, and Epic Heart and vascular center in June 2023. I interacted with patients, wrote case histories, analyzed lab reports and presented to Dr. Khan for feedback and guidance. I learned to clinically correlate findings on EKGs, echocardiographs, and arterial and venous Doppler studies. I gained valuable experience in ongoing long-term care of chronic cardiovascular diseases in outpatient settings whereas hospital rounds provided insight into inpatient management. I observed and learned about procedures like venous ablation, coronary angiography, and stenting. Learning to operate EMR systems like eClinicalworks and Patient Keeper was a new experience for me.
Dr Khan was passionate about teaching and was always approachable whether it was for clinical case discussions or for clearing any doubts regarding patient care. He groomed me to learn from seeing patients and improve my clinical skills. He encouraged externs to ask questions during hospital rounds as well as during clinic hours. He asked me to interpret the findings on coronary angiography. We discussed the management of congestive heart failure, acute coronary syndromes, and myocardial bridging. He taught me about different approaches to gaining vascular access for coronary interventions. Dr. Khan also encourages externs for academic and scholarly activities. I presented ACC/AHA guidelines for the management of chronic mitral regurgitation.
Apart from clinical experience, I appreciate the teamwork environment. I was appointed as the group leader of externs and was responsible for arranging schedules, allocating individual duties, and facilitating communication between externs and other team members. It was great to work alongside physicians, Nurse practitioners, Sonologists, Medical Assistants as well as administrative staff.
As an IMG, I felt confident in how well I had adapted to clinical practice in the United States after completing this rotation. I advise IMGs to consider this rotation for a well-versed US clinical experience.
