I have been traveling like mad the past two weeks. I left for New York the morning of March 14th, took a train to Boston the morning of March 17th, flew back to Houston the night of March 19th, was in town for the 20th, and flew to Salt Lake City for the ACS National Meeting the morning of March 21st. I just got back from Salt Lake the night of March 24th. Absolutely exhausted, missing my own bed, and having piles of work to do, I was not able to volunteer this week but shall resume next week when things calm down a bit.
This semester flew by, and it is almost April. Now that I am familiar with San Jose, I am excited for the Tri-Beta volunteer event where we help with the Art with Heart auction they are having on April 25th. It is a big fundraiser for them, and I am glad to have the opportunity to be a part of it this year.
Commenting on the new setup of the prep area for vitals that I described in the last entry, I personally like being out front in the desk area with other people, but it gets crowded behind the reception desk. It is supposed to help them increase speed and efficiency, but then they have to run papers back to the medical records room. It may be a trial run, so we will see if they keep the new setup for an extended time.
See you next month!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Fourth Week
Unable to make it this past Wednesday morning when I usually volunteer, I went to San Jose to volunteer from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. yesterday. The clinic is much different in the lunch and afternoon hours compared to the early morning rush.
I was assigned to triage and vitals again, but they showed me the new way they were doing things. In order to increase efficiency, they were doing triage and vitals out front in the reception area, running medical records to the back, and then calling the patient back. Before, they would do triage and vitals in a prep room, send the patient back out to the waiting area, and then call them back in for their appointment.
Since it was a slower afternoon, they let me take over for a receptionist/EMT who was temporarily taking on the responsibility, and I did the triage paperwork and vitals for each patient that came in myself. I learned about their computer system and looking up patient information, asking about medications, medical history, and problems, and picked up a few more useful phrases of medically-related Spanish.
Usually working in the back in the exam rooms, it was a nice change to work out front in the reception area getting to know everyone there. I love the people at San Jose. They are all incredibly kind, helpful, and funny. It contrasts so drastically with the high-stress and colder environment of a hospital clinic. That was a pleasantly surprising observation.
I will not be able to volunteer next week since I am going to New York and Boston for Spring Break. I leave Saturday morning and come back Thursday night. I spend Friday in Houston but then leave Saturday morning for Salt Lake City for the American Chemical Society national conference. I'm excited!
I was assigned to triage and vitals again, but they showed me the new way they were doing things. In order to increase efficiency, they were doing triage and vitals out front in the reception area, running medical records to the back, and then calling the patient back. Before, they would do triage and vitals in a prep room, send the patient back out to the waiting area, and then call them back in for their appointment.
Since it was a slower afternoon, they let me take over for a receptionist/EMT who was temporarily taking on the responsibility, and I did the triage paperwork and vitals for each patient that came in myself. I learned about their computer system and looking up patient information, asking about medications, medical history, and problems, and picked up a few more useful phrases of medically-related Spanish.
Usually working in the back in the exam rooms, it was a nice change to work out front in the reception area getting to know everyone there. I love the people at San Jose. They are all incredibly kind, helpful, and funny. It contrasts so drastically with the high-stress and colder environment of a hospital clinic. That was a pleasantly surprising observation.
I will not be able to volunteer next week since I am going to New York and Boston for Spring Break. I leave Saturday morning and come back Thursday night. I spend Friday in Houston but then leave Saturday morning for Salt Lake City for the American Chemical Society national conference. I'm excited!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Reflection
I did not volunteer this week because something came up on Wednesday morning, the time I usually go to San Jose Clinic. However, I have thought quite a bit about my time there and posed some difficult questions to myself that really do not have an answer.
How do you cope with being in the situation of not having health care yet still having to take care of a growing family? What would you do if there was no such institution as the San Jose Clinic? How do you feel once you are able to have health insurance and no longer need to go to an underserved facility?
These are often the tougher aspects of society and being a medical professional that you do not think about upon first working to become a doctor. It has been truly an eye-opening experience working there these past few weeks. Every patient is incredibly grateful to see the doctor and has been unfailingly polite and kind to me, just a college volunteer.
Having worked in a family practice and a plastic surgery clinic, the patients at San Jose are much more patient and understanding than patients at the "regular" clinics who so often complain about the slightest inconveniences. People so easily take for granted their situation in life and never take a step back to see just how much they have. Doctors say they want to help people, but they are spoiled commonly by the upper echelons of health care and patients. They forget about the lower percentiles of the economic bracket because they become so self-involved in their microcosm of experience.
This may come off as a bit of a self-righteous rant, but it still proves true nonetheless. Working at the San Jose Clinic has made me thankful for all the advantages I have been given in life and the ability to see the opposite end of the health care spectrum. I truly enjoy having this assignment for class because it is a real life-learning experience.
How do you cope with being in the situation of not having health care yet still having to take care of a growing family? What would you do if there was no such institution as the San Jose Clinic? How do you feel once you are able to have health insurance and no longer need to go to an underserved facility?
These are often the tougher aspects of society and being a medical professional that you do not think about upon first working to become a doctor. It has been truly an eye-opening experience working there these past few weeks. Every patient is incredibly grateful to see the doctor and has been unfailingly polite and kind to me, just a college volunteer.
Having worked in a family practice and a plastic surgery clinic, the patients at San Jose are much more patient and understanding than patients at the "regular" clinics who so often complain about the slightest inconveniences. People so easily take for granted their situation in life and never take a step back to see just how much they have. Doctors say they want to help people, but they are spoiled commonly by the upper echelons of health care and patients. They forget about the lower percentiles of the economic bracket because they become so self-involved in their microcosm of experience.
This may come off as a bit of a self-righteous rant, but it still proves true nonetheless. Working at the San Jose Clinic has made me thankful for all the advantages I have been given in life and the ability to see the opposite end of the health care spectrum. I truly enjoy having this assignment for class because it is a real life-learning experience.
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