#theVIPexperience Post #124: Jill Ntim

Since I was a child, I had always had an interest in becoming a physician. As I grew older, I realized that many of the doctors I would see growing up did not resemble me. As an African American, I realized the importance of having representation in health care. One issue that deeply alarmed me was the statistics black women face in the hospital room compared to Caucasian women. After learning this, I knew I wanted to advocate for minorities as well as provide more representation. 

Since coming to college, my interest in women’s health drew me to volunteer at UC Health’s women’s center. Through my volunteering experience, I was able to shadow nurse practitioners as well as gynecologists. I quickly became aware that many of these patients were part of the underserved population. Various factors could affect one’s health such as race, socioeconomic status, environment, mental health, and more. I enjoyed hearing individuals' stories as well as learning more about the underserved population. This experience made me conclude that this is the population I want to work with as a physician. I want to help make a change and help patients break the barriers that are affecting their health. 

Due to the pandemic, I had to end my time at the women’s center. Yet, I still wanted to engage with patients, especially during this trying time. I understood that now there are even more barriers that could potentially be affecting one's health. I knew Crossroads was a perfect match for me because I could directly work with the underserved population. I have grown a lot since beginning my journey as a VIP. I became more comfortable interacting with patients and various hospitals in the Cincinnati area. I learned the importance of collaborating with other team

members to provide quality assistance for each patient. This experience has shown me what leads up to an appointment such as who to contact, what insurance is accepted, the location of the appointment, and how the patient will get there. I get a deep intake of the patients' lives. I often hear various stories from patients regarding them being overwhelmed by the various task on their plates. Being able to take some of the weight off their plate, provides me with joy. Being able to build one-on-one conversations with the patients and form bonds helps my passion for this demographic to grow stronger. I love knowing that I get to play a role in bridging the gap.