Crossroad Volunteer Internship Program:
Spring Semester 2015
January 13
Today was my first shift at the Crossroad Health Center and I had a great opportunity to jump straight into the action by translating for two Spanish speaking patients. One of these patients graciously requested to have me translate for her again, which I found incredibly rewarding. This patient was an older woman who needed diabetes counseling and I was asked to help the counselor learn more about her exercise and eating habits. I also was able to experience first-hand the reality of the interwoven relationship between socioeconomic status and healthcare, as the woman left briefly in the middle of the appointment to bring up her daughter's infant son so that her daughter could rush to school and pick up another child in order to avoid extra daycare costs. As a student who grew up in a more wealthy neighborhood, leaving a doctor's office temporarily in the middle of a visit seemed remarkable to me. Clearly, though, the circumstances here necessitated such a trip and thus showcased how closely tied socioeconomic status and access to healthcare really are.
Dr. Roberts--the physician who I am shadowing as part of my first semester rotation--was very receptive and welcoming, and took time to explain patients histories and provide details on different conditions before entering the patient rooms. He encouraged me to converse with the patients and learn more about their conditions, to help out with their examinations in ways that I could, and to learn from the aspects of the examinations that he pointed out.
Today was my first shift at the Crossroad Health Center and I had a great opportunity to jump straight into the action by translating for two Spanish speaking patients. One of these patients graciously requested to have me translate for her again, which I found incredibly rewarding. This patient was an older woman who needed diabetes counseling and I was asked to help the counselor learn more about her exercise and eating habits. I also was able to experience first-hand the reality of the interwoven relationship between socioeconomic status and healthcare, as the woman left briefly in the middle of the appointment to bring up her daughter's infant son so that her daughter could rush to school and pick up another child in order to avoid extra daycare costs. As a student who grew up in a more wealthy neighborhood, leaving a doctor's office temporarily in the middle of a visit seemed remarkable to me. Clearly, though, the circumstances here necessitated such a trip and thus showcased how closely tied socioeconomic status and access to healthcare really are.
Dr. Roberts--the physician who I am shadowing as part of my first semester rotation--was very receptive and welcoming, and took time to explain patients histories and provide details on different conditions before entering the patient rooms. He encouraged me to converse with the patients and learn more about their conditions, to help out with their examinations in ways that I could, and to learn from the aspects of the examinations that he pointed out.
January 20
On my second shift, I felt more comfortable and relaxed in the community clinic setting, and was able to receive an immersive shadowing experience which taught me a great deal. I particularly enjoyed a moment when Dr. Roberts allowed me to explain the location and function of the thyroid gland to a patient. This patient who suffered from hypothyroidism listened intently to all of symptoms of her condition that Dr. Roberts listed off. After he was finished, all that she desired to know was what exactly the thyroid gland was and how it related to the things that were happening to her. Dr. Roberts did a great job relating to her what the gland was for and how its dysfunction was tied to her symptoms in a simple, understandable way that allowed for the patient's increased sense of security. This action helped me realize the value of being adaptive and able to address different audiences in medicine. It is very important to explain to patients the things that they are going through in ways that they understand so that they will be more well-informed and cognizant of their conditions. While Dr. Roberts explained to the patient the relationship between the thyroid gland and the things she saw her body doing, he instructed me to retrieve a medical atlas and showcase to the patient where the thyroid gland was with respect to the rest of the body. I showed her that the thyroid is an endocrine gland which sits ventral to the trachea in the neck and is responsible for producing hormones that mainly regulate metabolism and growth. I also elaborated on Dr. Roberts's explanation by pointing out that her condition was one in which too little hormone is produced and thus metabolism slows, leading to weight gain and slowed movement and speech. This engagement presented a wonderful interactive experience with the patient, who even thanked me for my help at the visit. To think that I am already having such valuable and meaningful experiences on just my second day is difficult to comprehend.
On my second shift, I felt more comfortable and relaxed in the community clinic setting, and was able to receive an immersive shadowing experience which taught me a great deal. I particularly enjoyed a moment when Dr. Roberts allowed me to explain the location and function of the thyroid gland to a patient. This patient who suffered from hypothyroidism listened intently to all of symptoms of her condition that Dr. Roberts listed off. After he was finished, all that she desired to know was what exactly the thyroid gland was and how it related to the things that were happening to her. Dr. Roberts did a great job relating to her what the gland was for and how its dysfunction was tied to her symptoms in a simple, understandable way that allowed for the patient's increased sense of security. This action helped me realize the value of being adaptive and able to address different audiences in medicine. It is very important to explain to patients the things that they are going through in ways that they understand so that they will be more well-informed and cognizant of their conditions. While Dr. Roberts explained to the patient the relationship between the thyroid gland and the things she saw her body doing, he instructed me to retrieve a medical atlas and showcase to the patient where the thyroid gland was with respect to the rest of the body. I showed her that the thyroid is an endocrine gland which sits ventral to the trachea in the neck and is responsible for producing hormones that mainly regulate metabolism and growth. I also elaborated on Dr. Roberts's explanation by pointing out that her condition was one in which too little hormone is produced and thus metabolism slows, leading to weight gain and slowed movement and speech. This engagement presented a wonderful interactive experience with the patient, who even thanked me for my help at the visit. To think that I am already having such valuable and meaningful experiences on just my second day is difficult to comprehend.