Second Week

Today was a lot busier than last week, and I didn't have a moment to rest all morning. I went through the same routine of triage and taking vitals. I have gotten very proficient at taking blood pressure and knew to take my own stethoscope today that I got from my father.

Some patients actually recognized me from last week, and I met a lot more regulars that come to the clinic several times a month. There were no incredibly prevalent infectious diseases in any of the patients that came in this morning aside from a common cold. The most common condition was still diabetes, followed by high blood pressure. Often, the visit is just a follow-up or needing a refill on medication.

I shadowed the same Sister this morning, and talked a bit more with the medical coordinator, which was nice. I'm starting to feel more comfortable in the clinic, and they're allowing me more freedom and responsibilities, taking vitals and triage by myself.

One of my favorite parts of the morning, aside from meeting some of the really nice regular patients, was using some of the Spanish I've learned from 4 years in high school and 1 year of Spanish classes in college. The Sister does not speak Spanish, so she needed help conveying some of the questions and information to the patients who do not speak any English. It was definitely an interesting aspect of my volunteering today.

I've decided to get a book on basic Spanish for medical professions to start looking over because it would be good for my general knowledge. About 80 - 90% of patients at San Jose speak primarily Spanish, so it will really help ease my ability to work there this semester.

Overall, I really enjoyed my second week at the clinic, much more than my first!