Watching a new life come into the world, only to quickly watch it be taken away, can change everything. “Alison,” you describe your experiences in labor and delivery; they are both moving and defining. Experiences like this can, in an instant, change your perspective on life and the way you practice. This is what makes rotations immeasurably valuable. As you mention, they can also be fear inducing. Being on rotation can feel like you have been haphazardly tossed into a strange new world, about which you know painfully little. Successful communication with your preceptor can define your rotation experience. You mention your terror at the prospect of starting a community rotation, and then your realization that your terror was unfounded. But, you also mention never feeling like you were on the same page with your preceptor regarding the goals and expectations of the rotation.

Every resident has a different path and story of how they made it to the position they are currently in. For me, I had not considered oncology until I took my medical oncology rotation in the fall of my PGY1 residency year. Throughout the rotation, my passion for this specialty and patient population grew tremendously. I was finally able to combine my excitement for learning and interacting with an interdisciplinary team with my passion for talking and interacting with patients. By the end of the rotation, I knew that I wanted to pursue oncology further as a PGY2 resident.