For my pediatrics site evaluation, I had Professor Gary Maida as my evaluator. For this evaluation, we returned to using regular history and physical exams. I presented two cases throughout my two evaluations, along with being tested on the pharmacology cards and presenting a journal article related to one of the patients we discussed.

In my first evaluation, I presented a patient with a viral infection that had a tricky diagnosis. The in-house testing at the office wasn’t sufficient to reach a definitive conclusion. This case required developing several differential diagnoses, which was excellent practice in distinguishing between different types of common infections.

In the second evaluation, I presented a patient with erythema infectiosum. However, this particular patient had an unusual presentation, with a pruritic rash in addition to the common symptoms. For the journal article, I chose a study that looked at the changes in the epidemiology of parvovirus B19. Surprisingly, there were many cases of erythema infectiosum at the office, with cases appearing almost daily and sometimes more than once a day. I wanted to find an article that could explain the increase in cases.

The article I found was very interesting, suggesting that COVID-19 might be a reason for the recent emergence of parvovirus B19. It explained that due to lockdowns and isolation during the pandemic, herd immunity for the virus was lost. Now, with all restrictions lifted, there is an increase in cases of parvovirus B19 as there is less defense from the general public against it. I found the article very intriguing as it provided insight into the increased incidence of B19.

The evaluations were a great learning experience. Professor Maida has a wealth of knowledge and loves to share it with his students. I learned a lot during the evaluations and had an overall great experience.