Hello! I’m Mikail Khanzada, a 4th Year MBBS student at Lahore Medical and Dental College. I got the opportunity to rotate with Dr Khan at the Epic Heart and Vascular Centre and HCA Houston Northwest in September 2023. I found out about the rotation through contacting previous externs and through their reviews decided to rotate myself as my first US clinical experience.
I found Dr Khans explanation of complex medical concepts such as the correct diagnosis of ST elevations in an MI to be very thorough and easy to understand. Breakdown of the concepts of 2-D Echos ,the use of different views, as well as ECGs was well explained from the first day. It was a pleasure to witness Dr Khan interacting with patients and the concern he always showed for their valuable time. I found Dr Khans explanation of procedures such as Varithenas, Venaseal, RFIs, PCIs, angiographies easy to understand even as a 4th year student. Investigations and treatments were always discussed with all externs after seeing patients. We were encouraged to go through guideline directed medical therapies for all commonly seen cardiac conditions. Latest AHA guidelines such as those for Chronic coronary disease and lipid levels were an object of continuous discussion during this time. I was tasked with presenting the 2023 AHA Diagnosis and Risk Stratification guidelines for Chronic Coronary Disease. At the end of my time there I found myself able to discuss diagnosis, risk stratification and treatment for a range of cardiac conditions on a much more advanced level.
The rotation allowed ample outpatient exposure with the chance to take histories and examinations of 4-5 patients daily. It also allowed judicious use of the EMR system by all externs which is a vital part of any US healthcare setup that one can take into both future rotations and residency. I believe this experience has equipped me with ample knowledge of the US healthcare system and will prove a great learning experience for the future.