Monday, April 24, 2017

#theVIPExperience Post #14: Tiffany Shi

The time I have spent volunteering with Crossroad so far has been nothing short of amazing and inspiring to me. As a VIP who has done the traditional route of assisting patients with referrals as well as the non-traditional route of being a Tobacco Treatment Group (TTG) VIP has helped me grow in more ways than I could have imagined. 

After moving to Cincinnati in the summer of 2016, I wanted to get integrated and get to know my new community. A colleague suggested I look into volunteering with Crossroad, and it has been a truly eye-opening experience. Crossroad's patient population showed me the disparities in healthcare I have heard talked about, but never seen first-hand. As a referral VIP, I was eager to help patients in any way possible, and was always striven to be as efficient as possible. Through my first rotation, I picked up organizational and communication skills.  

However, it is through my second rotation as a TTG member that makes me feel like I've made an impact on others. The TTG is a group therapy style meeting to discuss tobacco cessation as well as living a healthier lifestyle. Each week we have a check-in with how much the patient smoked in the past week and how their week was, a short lesson on various topics relating to tobacco or health, and then goal-setting to end the session. As someone who is passionate in fitness, nutrition, and well-being, this group seemed like the perfect fit for me. Through the TTG, I learned not only how to communicate with others better, but also how to climb out of my shell and speak up when I have something useful to say. Seeing the patients progress each week as well as knowing that they took in at least a little of the information taught to them each week is what brightens my Mondays. 

Volunteering with Crossroad has been one of the best choices I've made since moving to Cincinnati, and I am so grateful for everything this experience has taught me so far. 

-- Tiffany Shi

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