#theVIPexperience Post #135: Logan Lake

The first time I heard about Crossroad Health Center was entirely unrelated to my roles as a student, active community member, or future physician; instead, it was as a patient. Only after being personally served by Crossroad did I come to learn about the opportunity to become a volunteer intern. Being able to draw upon my own experiences and emotions has certainly made being compassionate and empathetic towards patients more reflexive than I think would be possible had I lacked this particular route of care in my own health history. The mission of Crossroad Health Center, and all efforts to improve access to quality care for that matter, is something I have become increasingly passionate about in my time as a student and volunteer. My personal challenges pale in comparison to those of most of our patients. But having just that extra bit of understanding, knowing the feelings of not being heard or respected or cared for, having seen the instant dismissal of your life’s worth once a practitioner or clerical worker see the type of insurance you do or don’t carry, motivates me so strongly to never, ever be the provider that makes a patient feel any less valued as a human being.  

When I first began this internship I didn’t really understand what I was getting into. I knew that the mission of Crossroad was something I cared about, but I wasn’t quite sure how I, a student with no clinical certifications or training, could make a real difference in people’s lives. By the end of the training, I better understood my role, but I was so nervous to begin talking to real patients on the phone. It took the better part of my first rotation to become comfortable reaching out to patients, physician offices, insurance and transportation companies, but by the end making calls was no big deal. My communication skills, especially over the phone, have developed a huge amount since beginning this internship. I no longer need a script or anything in front of me when I call a patient. I always ask how they’re doing and how their day is going before I get into the specifics of my call’s purpose, something I would’ve worried was too unprofessional in the beginning. I have been in situations where patients just need someone to listen to their worries or their pain and tell them that they matter and that it’s going to be okay. If this had happened when I first started I would be beside myself with what to say to someone who is telling me all about how their back pain keeps them up at night and prevents them from living a normal life. I’ve learned that there’s no script that tells you how to be a human, and how to give a person the time and words they need. You’ve got to put yourself in the patient’s seat, imagine their emotions, being cautious to not erase their individual being from consideration and to instead integrate it with your own, and then respond with what feels right. 

There are so many transferable skills and lessons that come from participating in the VIP program. From the soft things like communication skills and teamwork to a more procedural understanding of our convoluted healthcare system, the experience of being a VIP offers invaluable insight into the world of patients, providers, and the systemic bounds within which they operate.