Reflection on Heme Oncology Rotation

This 6-week rotation from Nov-Dec was very fulfilling. There were ~13 patients to be followed daily. I learned a lot about the various chemotherapy treatments for various kinds of leukemias. Frequently, patients will go through nadir and neutropenia after chemo, which activates a cascade of events/protocols. I’ve also learned a lot about the complications from these chemotherapies. Some patient cases are extremely complicated, which facilitates the learning process. This rotation fit in very nicely with my AML project. Now I have context on how the patients are like and the clinical ramifications of AML. On a more practical level, it was very grueling. It involved near 12-hour shifts daily + 1 day/weekend. On top of this, I was flying around the country for fellowship interviews and applications. It definitely tested my organizational abilities.