Well I've finally made a visit to the Kitchen after several weeks of getting things worked out for scheduling. Basically I was given the task of rooming patients, asking them a few questions to get them prepared for when the doctor comes in. The idea is for us to find out some preliminary information for the doctor and to get the patient thinking about why they are visiting ahead of time so they know what to tell the doctor when they arrive.
My first visit was surprisingly exciting. I was very nervous going into it because I had not ever done anything like that before. Especially the idea of rooming patients by myself. I was afraid that I might forget to ask the all the questions and if I did remember them, would I ask them correctly. Once I shadowed three with one of the other volunteers working there I caught on quick and took one on by myself after that and managed to make it through about eight people in a two hour period, becoming very smooth with the process.
I really enjoyed doing the volunteer work in the Kitchen and would love to go back even after this class in years to come to help them when needed. Like my brother I'm not a pre-med student so doing this at first was a little out of my element but being that I'm wanting to become a physical therapist I'm much more related than my brother is to the work. I really enjoyed working with such a wide variety of patients, even the more hostile ones because it has improved my interactions with people, which will help me a lot as a physical therapist being that I'll be working with many different people on a one on one basis. It helped me to realize how much I will enjoy my future career working and interacting with people. This experience will also really improve my social skills for that career and look very good on a resume to get into PT school. Overall I'm looking forward to future visits there to help.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Volunteer Orientation-Jon George
Getting to volunteer at the clinic seems like it is going to be a wonderful experience! I recently was able to meet with the clinic volunteer coordinator Allison Wilson. The clinic itself is a humble building located on the corner Jefferson and East Pacific Street. They take in people from all ages and walks of life as a volunteer clinic to help the Springfield community.They are able to run since they get some funding by government but most of the actual work is done by volunteer workers and healthcare professionals.
Some of the services offered by the clinic are behavioral consulting, podiatry, optometry, dentistry, physical therapy, and many more. These services are again done by current and retired healthcare professionals. Since it is a volunteer clinic, they each see numerous amounts of patients. Walk-ins are welcomed but are usually scheduled for a later time. This is not a emergency clinic so postponing appointments will not lead to death but will help with time management.
My job at the clinic is to assist the doctors and help cut time a doctor needs to spend with a patient. I help by recording blood pressure, taking patient history, and confirm past patient history. I also help with office management by operating phones, medical patient database, take and respond to messages, and other similar organizational activities. My goal is to create a better efficiency in the clinic and in return help the clinic see more patients.
Some of the services offered by the clinic are behavioral consulting, podiatry, optometry, dentistry, physical therapy, and many more. These services are again done by current and retired healthcare professionals. Since it is a volunteer clinic, they each see numerous amounts of patients. Walk-ins are welcomed but are usually scheduled for a later time. This is not a emergency clinic so postponing appointments will not lead to death but will help with time management.
My job at the clinic is to assist the doctors and help cut time a doctor needs to spend with a patient. I help by recording blood pressure, taking patient history, and confirm past patient history. I also help with office management by operating phones, medical patient database, take and respond to messages, and other similar organizational activities. My goal is to create a better efficiency in the clinic and in return help the clinic see more patients.
Finding the Time that was Never Actually Lost
Besides the title sounding amazing, there is actually a reason that this post was named so. The reason is that now, 2 months into the school year, I finally have gotten my class scheduled finalized and have been able to plan my time around two main things: studying and community service.
Working at the Kitchen Clinic has exposed not only me, but our entire group to what exactly goes into running a medical facility. My first day I spent four hours rooming patients and gathering basic medical information and I even did some basic lab procedures (see chemistry lab is applicable in real life) and the second time I was there, I was a front office aid. I did it all from sorting packing slips from drug manufacturers to taking phone messages and I got to learn how to operate the scheduling database for appointments. It was just kinda eye opening how much extra work goes into making it function on a day to day basis.
A funny side note, one day while talking to the staffing doctors, Waffle House got brought up. One of the docs then started talking about how difficult it would be to work at a Waffle House because the "language" the cooks use when calling out orders in short hand. A man that has spent over six years in post graduate education thinks working at Waffle House is difficult. It was just interesting to me to hear that but it made me think that the people at Waffle House probably think the same thing about working at a medical facility, so I guess it all comes down to what you are used to.
Working at the Kitchen Clinic has exposed not only me, but our entire group to what exactly goes into running a medical facility. My first day I spent four hours rooming patients and gathering basic medical information and I even did some basic lab procedures (see chemistry lab is applicable in real life) and the second time I was there, I was a front office aid. I did it all from sorting packing slips from drug manufacturers to taking phone messages and I got to learn how to operate the scheduling database for appointments. It was just kinda eye opening how much extra work goes into making it function on a day to day basis.
A funny side note, one day while talking to the staffing doctors, Waffle House got brought up. One of the docs then started talking about how difficult it would be to work at a Waffle House because the "language" the cooks use when calling out orders in short hand. A man that has spent over six years in post graduate education thinks working at Waffle House is difficult. It was just interesting to me to hear that but it made me think that the people at Waffle House probably think the same thing about working at a medical facility, so I guess it all comes down to what you are used to.
Jon's (Hays) thoughts on Clinic work
After several weeks of scheduling issues between our Summit group, and the Kitchen, Inc, I finally had my first visit to the clinic. Being an Architecture student, going into a clinic to do "clinical" work seems a bit weird, such as not having any experience working in a clinic. My job for my visit to the clinic today (and most likely from here on out) was to admit patients waiting in the main lobby, into one of five rooms. Being a clinic for the poor and needy, it's safe to say that I saw a wide range of people, from people off the streets, to people just having a stroke of bad luck.
When I first arrived to the clinic around 9:00 AM, I was shuffled around from office to office while the staff tried to decide where to have me work. This was more of my fault for not having visited the clinic before, although it didn't help that our "advisor" Alison was out of the office for the day. By the time we had everything figured out for where I needed to be, I was just in time for a patient "rush". This of course isn't the best time to train a volunteer, but after about four "shadows" of an experienced staff member, they turned me loose. The job was fairly simple, and kept me busy during my entire two and half hours I was scheduled.
Over all, it wasn't too bad. By the next time I visit, I'll be able to be that much more useful to the staff, because at least I'll know what to do. The hardest part is remembering all of the numerous "health" questions that I needed to ask each patient - which, I'll admit, wasn't hard once I got the hang of it. In total, I probably admitted fifteen patients into the Kitchen clinic, and of course filled out the forms that went along with it. Everyone at the clinic was extremely friendly and helpful making the experience that much better - and I'm sure that's why such a large majority of people come there everyday.
When I first arrived to the clinic around 9:00 AM, I was shuffled around from office to office while the staff tried to decide where to have me work. This was more of my fault for not having visited the clinic before, although it didn't help that our "advisor" Alison was out of the office for the day. By the time we had everything figured out for where I needed to be, I was just in time for a patient "rush". This of course isn't the best time to train a volunteer, but after about four "shadows" of an experienced staff member, they turned me loose. The job was fairly simple, and kept me busy during my entire two and half hours I was scheduled.
Over all, it wasn't too bad. By the next time I visit, I'll be able to be that much more useful to the staff, because at least I'll know what to do. The hardest part is remembering all of the numerous "health" questions that I needed to ask each patient - which, I'll admit, wasn't hard once I got the hang of it. In total, I probably admitted fifteen patients into the Kitchen clinic, and of course filled out the forms that went along with it. Everyone at the clinic was extremely friendly and helpful making the experience that much better - and I'm sure that's why such a large majority of people come there everyday.
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