Looking back, the time that I have spent at Crossroad Health Center has really served as a foundation for many changes in my life, and I firmly believe that the experiences that I've had at the clinic have served as a catalyst for expanding my opinions of the world we live in.
I started during the winter of my first year, a time where I was convinced that I was ready to spend the rest of my life working with medically underserved communities. I applied to work as an intern on the recommendation of Caroline Hensley, who now coordinates the program. Throughout my time there, she served as an incredible source of guidance and inspiration, and continues to be one of my dearest friends.
My first shift was eye-opening in that I was diving into a world that I have never experienced: we spent the first three weeks shadowing providers, and it was a good opportunity to learn about the role of the clinic in the community. The first week, I shadowed a Medical Assistant, whose job required not only taking vitals and updating the patient's chart, but an ability to be able to pick up on changes to report to the doctor. That could be with mood, or topics that the patient is discussing in regards to their own personal life. It was interesting to see that the MA was the first point of contact for a patient to become comfortable in the clinic or a place to vent and discuss issues in their lives. I learned about so many problems that I've never had to encounter in my life, from electricity and water being shut off, to lead poisoning due to contaminated water, to not being able to afford nutritious food. Many patients had trouble with transportation or taking off time from work, or finding an insurance company that would accept them. It was shocking to realize that all of this was going on with so many people, to say the least. I was disappointed in myself for not exposing myself to these experiences earlier, and for not realizing how dire some situations can be.
During my second shift, I shadowed a provider named Dr. Roberts, who has not only changed how I view the field of medicine, but also began my own questioning of my career path. Dr. Roberts spent at least ten minutes reviewing every patient's chart before going in, and despite not having much time allotted to spend with the patient, he wouldn't leave the room until he had addressed all of his patient's concerns, no matter how long it took. He was often at the clinic until 7 or 8 at night, but you could always see the passion in his eyes for what he did. In the room, he would ask me questions about symptoms and make me guess what the problem or solution could be, and would always take his time to explain each diagnosis thoroughly. Working with him made me start wondering where my fire was, and if I could ever be as dedicated to anything as he was to medicine. At that point, I knew I wanted to feel that passion about something, even if it wasn't the path that I was on at the time.
For the rest of the first two rotations, I worked with Amber Severn, whose patients were mostly Spanish-speaking, a population I had never worked with before. My five years of previous Spanish knowledge was clearly lacking, but the bits and pieces of conversation that I caught were so revealing of the situations that many patients were in. I will never forget a patient who was labeled with risky sexual activity at 13, and had a child at 15. It broke my heart when she was diagnosed with depression a year later, and it made me think about the other areas beyond healthcare that could offer her help.
My final shift was spent in pediatrics, where I mostly continued to help with referrals, though I did get to see many patients with Brooke Gumm. This time was pivotal in making me realize how much needed to be done in education, and the steps that Crossroad was taking to help. Every child left the clinic with a book, and parents left with pamphlets on nutrition, and it was so refreshing to know how much the clinic employees cared about these children. Of all the experiences at Crossroad, working with pediatrics made me realize that no matter what, I want to spend my life working with children and teenagers and improving their situations so that they can achieve everything that they wish to accomplish.
Another incredible aspect of Crossroad is the community built within the interns. The total size grew to over 60 by the time of my last rotation, and it is truly inspiring to work with such a large body of passionate and dedicated people. It was also awesome to see the innovation in thought: interns were constantly thinking of ways to improve the method of patient contact and how we could help the clinic run more smoothly, and each person really loved the work they were doing.
My hope is to come back to Crossroad after taking a break for the upcoming year and to dedicate myself to helping the clinic in a way that aligns more closely with my passions. I often found myself a bit distraught because I wanted to help, but felt that my growing distance to the field of medicine hindered me from giving my all. However, Crossroad is more than just a place where people come for medical attention, and that realization is what drives me to return one day. The clinic focuses on addressing all needs that might be impacting the patient's access to health, whether that be monetary, emotional, or spiritual. I will never forget all of the moments I experienced at the clinic and the providers and patients that changed my life and made me think of issues that I may never experience. They have taught me that sympathy isn't enough; you need to dedicate your heart to them in that moment and help, and sometimes that means just staying right there and listening.
My artifact is my Crossroad notebook, pictured below. Within the pages are some general details of the experience, and because of confidentiality restraints, can't be shared because some patient details are noted though not specifically. This notebook has not only captured my thoughts throughout shadowing (along with many doodles), but has served as a way for me to reflect on my own role at the clinic, and has been a documentation of my mind opening to other opportunities outside of medicine. In italics are some entries from my notebook:
"Roberts has spent 45 minutes with patient, which an MA said is not unusual for him but atypical in the field of primary care. He is a doctor superhero, it's incredible. If I ever become a doctor, I want to be just like him. It's hard to think of the practicality of what he does when he is so passionate about giving each patient the time and attention they deserve."
"I didn't do that much this shift other than the usual and clearing up the PVP room, but I'm glad I got to look through all of the papers in the room, especially the ones for peds patients. As far as medicine goes, my interests have generally been tied closely to how recreation and education tie into the health of children in different population; I don't know why it took me nearly a year to realize this, but I really would like to work more closely with the peds populations that we serve. Today's shift made me realize that for the next rotation, I'm definitely going to try and work out my schedule to work at West or with peds at OTR."
"Referrals today make me wonder if I can handle all of the little things in medicine. Like the paperwork, coding for payment, etc. I wish the system was more straightforward."
"This rotation started off a lot differently than the last, for sure! It felt like a combination of feeling comfortable in the setting, with knowing people and what I was here to do, and simultaneous confusion, with changes in the system, briefly being unable to log into OSIS, and splitting up my shift between two days. Though initially it felt like I was less productive than I was last rotation (it definitely helped to have Sarah there to patiently answer my questions), I think I'll get into the swing of things. I also feel a lot more energetic and determined to find new solutions, but I think that first requires finding the areas where the effort would be most productive. George and I are going to brainstorm ideas for a project this rotation that we can develop outside of our shifts so that we can implement them during, which should be interesting!"
"Today I called a patient regarding an appointment with a podiatrist, which I always kind of assume are regarding diabetes. She ended up keeping me on the phone for at least five minutes, talking about how pretty her foot was now and how she can't wait to see how great her other foot will be without the bunions and corns and hammer-toes. I never really understood how a foot doctor could change someone's life, but it definitely made me realize that you never know what exactly could be the keystone in changing someone's life for the better, or at least improving quality of life and self-esteem. Sometimes it's the small things (like the removal of a bunion! that can motivate someone to change his or her life for the better."
""I was able to contact a patient about an appointment which she was having difficulty making because of her children being back in school. It made me think of the article we read in the spring about the family in New York. We talked for quite some time about her children and her other priorities that involved them, and it was interesting to see her put them over her pain. Halfway through the call she had to put the phone down to close the screen door because she thought her baby was getting chilly, and everything tied back to her children (even her pain, which she wanted to "fix" so that she could get back to her best for her kids.) That care and love was so genuine, and it was a bit heartbreaking to know that despite her pain, she wanted to make sure her kids had everything first."
To learn more about Crossroad Health Center, check out:
http://crossroadhc.blogspot.com/
I started during the winter of my first year, a time where I was convinced that I was ready to spend the rest of my life working with medically underserved communities. I applied to work as an intern on the recommendation of Caroline Hensley, who now coordinates the program. Throughout my time there, she served as an incredible source of guidance and inspiration, and continues to be one of my dearest friends.
My first shift was eye-opening in that I was diving into a world that I have never experienced: we spent the first three weeks shadowing providers, and it was a good opportunity to learn about the role of the clinic in the community. The first week, I shadowed a Medical Assistant, whose job required not only taking vitals and updating the patient's chart, but an ability to be able to pick up on changes to report to the doctor. That could be with mood, or topics that the patient is discussing in regards to their own personal life. It was interesting to see that the MA was the first point of contact for a patient to become comfortable in the clinic or a place to vent and discuss issues in their lives. I learned about so many problems that I've never had to encounter in my life, from electricity and water being shut off, to lead poisoning due to contaminated water, to not being able to afford nutritious food. Many patients had trouble with transportation or taking off time from work, or finding an insurance company that would accept them. It was shocking to realize that all of this was going on with so many people, to say the least. I was disappointed in myself for not exposing myself to these experiences earlier, and for not realizing how dire some situations can be.
During my second shift, I shadowed a provider named Dr. Roberts, who has not only changed how I view the field of medicine, but also began my own questioning of my career path. Dr. Roberts spent at least ten minutes reviewing every patient's chart before going in, and despite not having much time allotted to spend with the patient, he wouldn't leave the room until he had addressed all of his patient's concerns, no matter how long it took. He was often at the clinic until 7 or 8 at night, but you could always see the passion in his eyes for what he did. In the room, he would ask me questions about symptoms and make me guess what the problem or solution could be, and would always take his time to explain each diagnosis thoroughly. Working with him made me start wondering where my fire was, and if I could ever be as dedicated to anything as he was to medicine. At that point, I knew I wanted to feel that passion about something, even if it wasn't the path that I was on at the time.
For the rest of the first two rotations, I worked with Amber Severn, whose patients were mostly Spanish-speaking, a population I had never worked with before. My five years of previous Spanish knowledge was clearly lacking, but the bits and pieces of conversation that I caught were so revealing of the situations that many patients were in. I will never forget a patient who was labeled with risky sexual activity at 13, and had a child at 15. It broke my heart when she was diagnosed with depression a year later, and it made me think about the other areas beyond healthcare that could offer her help.
My final shift was spent in pediatrics, where I mostly continued to help with referrals, though I did get to see many patients with Brooke Gumm. This time was pivotal in making me realize how much needed to be done in education, and the steps that Crossroad was taking to help. Every child left the clinic with a book, and parents left with pamphlets on nutrition, and it was so refreshing to know how much the clinic employees cared about these children. Of all the experiences at Crossroad, working with pediatrics made me realize that no matter what, I want to spend my life working with children and teenagers and improving their situations so that they can achieve everything that they wish to accomplish.
Another incredible aspect of Crossroad is the community built within the interns. The total size grew to over 60 by the time of my last rotation, and it is truly inspiring to work with such a large body of passionate and dedicated people. It was also awesome to see the innovation in thought: interns were constantly thinking of ways to improve the method of patient contact and how we could help the clinic run more smoothly, and each person really loved the work they were doing.
My hope is to come back to Crossroad after taking a break for the upcoming year and to dedicate myself to helping the clinic in a way that aligns more closely with my passions. I often found myself a bit distraught because I wanted to help, but felt that my growing distance to the field of medicine hindered me from giving my all. However, Crossroad is more than just a place where people come for medical attention, and that realization is what drives me to return one day. The clinic focuses on addressing all needs that might be impacting the patient's access to health, whether that be monetary, emotional, or spiritual. I will never forget all of the moments I experienced at the clinic and the providers and patients that changed my life and made me think of issues that I may never experience. They have taught me that sympathy isn't enough; you need to dedicate your heart to them in that moment and help, and sometimes that means just staying right there and listening.
My artifact is my Crossroad notebook, pictured below. Within the pages are some general details of the experience, and because of confidentiality restraints, can't be shared because some patient details are noted though not specifically. This notebook has not only captured my thoughts throughout shadowing (along with many doodles), but has served as a way for me to reflect on my own role at the clinic, and has been a documentation of my mind opening to other opportunities outside of medicine. In italics are some entries from my notebook:
"Roberts has spent 45 minutes with patient, which an MA said is not unusual for him but atypical in the field of primary care. He is a doctor superhero, it's incredible. If I ever become a doctor, I want to be just like him. It's hard to think of the practicality of what he does when he is so passionate about giving each patient the time and attention they deserve."
"I didn't do that much this shift other than the usual and clearing up the PVP room, but I'm glad I got to look through all of the papers in the room, especially the ones for peds patients. As far as medicine goes, my interests have generally been tied closely to how recreation and education tie into the health of children in different population; I don't know why it took me nearly a year to realize this, but I really would like to work more closely with the peds populations that we serve. Today's shift made me realize that for the next rotation, I'm definitely going to try and work out my schedule to work at West or with peds at OTR."
"Referrals today make me wonder if I can handle all of the little things in medicine. Like the paperwork, coding for payment, etc. I wish the system was more straightforward."
"This rotation started off a lot differently than the last, for sure! It felt like a combination of feeling comfortable in the setting, with knowing people and what I was here to do, and simultaneous confusion, with changes in the system, briefly being unable to log into OSIS, and splitting up my shift between two days. Though initially it felt like I was less productive than I was last rotation (it definitely helped to have Sarah there to patiently answer my questions), I think I'll get into the swing of things. I also feel a lot more energetic and determined to find new solutions, but I think that first requires finding the areas where the effort would be most productive. George and I are going to brainstorm ideas for a project this rotation that we can develop outside of our shifts so that we can implement them during, which should be interesting!"
"Today I called a patient regarding an appointment with a podiatrist, which I always kind of assume are regarding diabetes. She ended up keeping me on the phone for at least five minutes, talking about how pretty her foot was now and how she can't wait to see how great her other foot will be without the bunions and corns and hammer-toes. I never really understood how a foot doctor could change someone's life, but it definitely made me realize that you never know what exactly could be the keystone in changing someone's life for the better, or at least improving quality of life and self-esteem. Sometimes it's the small things (like the removal of a bunion! that can motivate someone to change his or her life for the better."
""I was able to contact a patient about an appointment which she was having difficulty making because of her children being back in school. It made me think of the article we read in the spring about the family in New York. We talked for quite some time about her children and her other priorities that involved them, and it was interesting to see her put them over her pain. Halfway through the call she had to put the phone down to close the screen door because she thought her baby was getting chilly, and everything tied back to her children (even her pain, which she wanted to "fix" so that she could get back to her best for her kids.) That care and love was so genuine, and it was a bit heartbreaking to know that despite her pain, she wanted to make sure her kids had everything first."
To learn more about Crossroad Health Center, check out:
http://crossroadhc.blogspot.com/