My time at
Crossroad Health Center has been eye opening in so many different ways. About
two years ago I started working with Children’s Hospital in the Emergency
Department/ Urgent Care. Patients were seen in a timely manner; in and then
out. This is not to take away from the care that they received. Upon starting
my time here at Crossroad I was able to shadow a primary care physician. The
care that they give is much different than the care in the Emergency Department/Urgent
Care due to the pace of the setting. My thoughts on medicine were narrow and
because of Crossroad Health Center they are now more broad. Continuity of care
is so important and that is exactly what the physicians at Crossroad Health
Center focus on. Every member of the team takes the time to know their patients
and make each experience for them as pleasurable as it can be.
When a patient
first arrives their vitals are taken and then they are walked to an exam room
where they wait to be seen by the physician. Upon the physician entering the
room introductions are done and the physician takes the time to get to know why
the patient is there. If it is a child, as was the case with my shadowing
experience, the physician takes the time to talk to the child and make them a
part of the experience, no matter their age. After the physical exam takes
place the physician decides if the patient needs a referral. This is where my
personal experience with the patient happened. If the family would like to schedule
right away I would meet with them in person and schedule the appointment. If
they would not like to schedule in person, I would call them at home and help.
What really
surprised me throughout this experience was the need for the help with
referrals. Before volunteering I was not aware that scheduling appointments
could be an issue for families. As I have learned everyone does not have access
to a telephone to call and schedule the appointments and some do not even know where
to begin in terms of scheduling. Being able to do something for someone that
makes their day is more rewarding than anything I have done before. At first I
was not sure how my role as a referral specialist would directly effect patient
care, in terms of continuity, but I have been more than pleasantly surprised
that my time at Crossroad Health Center has helped me grow as a person and
helped with patient and provider continuity.
-- Kaitlyn Davis
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