In October 2016, Frédérique St-Pierre, a fourth year medical student at McGill University participated in the poster competition at the American College of Physicians’ (ACP) Internal Medicine Chapter Meeting held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Frédérique’s poster presented a case she saw during her elective rotation at the Mayo Clinic, in Hematology, in August 2016. She was selected as the winner of the Best Medical Student Clinical Vignette and will be representing Minnesota at the National Poster Competition in San Diego this March during the annual ACP Internal Medicine Meeting.
“I was extremely happy to be able to present this case at the ACP poster competition in Minnesota, and to raise awareness on this unusual presentation of multiple myeloma,” says Frédérique. “This case was especially important to me, as I was the one who first saw the patient when she first came to the hospital. I was able to follow her throughout her hospital stay, and see her hallucinations resolve within a few days, with a very simple treatment. Winning the competition in Minnesota means I will have the chance to present this case to many more physicians and students in San Diego, in the hopes of perhaps making a difference in the management of one of their future patients. There is tremendous stigma associated with hallucinations, and it is extremely important to remember that acute medical causes should be suspected and ruled out as soon as possible, as timely management can result in complete reversal of these symptoms. I am also very proud to be able to represent McGill in this national competition, which the ACP Governor of Minnesota was very happy to say had now gone ‘international’.”
The ACP hosts Internal Medicine Chapter meetings in every state, in order to promote continuous medical education and keep physicians updated with the latest evidence on important topics in internal medicine. A poster competition for residents and medical students takes place at every Chapter meeting, with the aim of presenting clinical case reports that will either increase awareness of a condition, suggest the proper diagnostic strategy, or demonstrate a more cost-effective approach to management. Unusual presentations of common medical conditions can also be presented. Winners of the competition then go on to represent their state in the annual National ACP competition.
Frédérique came to McGill as a Med-P student after completing her CEGEP studies at Collège André-Grasset. “For as long as I can remember, I knew I wanted a job that could really make a difference,” she explains. She explored different options including volunteering and international politics, and participated in the National Model United Nations for two years during CEGEP but found that medicine felt like the best way of leaving her mark on the community. “I feel extremely privileged to have the chance to participate in such a wonderful practice,” says Frédérique. “During medical school, I found a passion for a specialty I knew very little about coming into the program: Internal Medicine. I am fascinated by the capacity of an internist to have a holistic understanding of the human body, and to translate this complex knowledge into information that is easy to understand for patients. I hope to become an excellent physician and medical educator, and am currently applying for residency in Internal Medicine.” She has a particular interest in Hematology and Oncology, and is entertaining the possibility of completing a fellowship in this subspecialty after residency.
Congratulations Frédérique and good luck in San Diego!
January 12, 2017