I have noticed that in my six months of volunteering at
Crossroad Health Center, each shift is different. Each patient is unique and as
a result, each case requires a different quality out of me. Many times it’s
empathy or compassion, but sometimes it is patience and adaptability. I quickly
realized that scheduling a referral very rarely goes smoothly from beginning to
end. However, I think that’s what makes
being a VIP fun. Here’s a quick example: there was case when I met with the
patient in office and she gave me her strict availability. I made the
appointment following the days and times she was available. However, when I
called her to go over the appointment details, her availability had changed and
I had to reschedule the appointment. It took several more calls to both the
physician office and the patient to get everything finalized. During times like
those, I have to remind myself that patience is a virtue. Additionally, I can’t
tell you how many times I have been in the middle of working on a referral only
to be asked to focus my attention on a different one by my referral team
physician or a Medical Assistant. It sounds frustrating, but it’s an
illustration of how much we are needed. A key quality of a successful VIP is
the ability to adjust your work to fit the needs of the team. Crossroad needs
us to break the barriers associated with their providers’ referrals.
Specifically, we need to ensure that their patients are able to have scheduled
appointments with specialists and that those patients actually attend the appointments.
With that goal in mind, it was pretty easy to teach myself that I need to be
adaptable enough to accommodate as many patient cases as possible during my
shift. Every patient is important. Using that logic has led me to realize that
every patient also has a story. Stories of economic hardship, addiction,
life-threatening accidents, and immigration are what get me out of bed every
Tuesday morning to drive to Crossroad. As a VIP, I realize that I play a role
in the fight these patients have against their obstacles. Every time I schedule
an appointment for them, I hope they are one step closer to getting to where
they need to be. It’s not an easy thought process to maintain, but I didn’t
sign up for easy. Crossroad continues to challenge me every week and for that I
am truly grateful.
-- Mitchell McMurray
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