#theVIPexperience Post #158: Divine Grayson

I was very nervous to start volunteering here. I have bad anxiety and making phone calls was not my forte. On my first shift here, I was being trained by Jessica and I remember having the nicest woman answer my first phone call. She was so cheery and made me feel so comfortable talking on the phone with her. She didn’t need my help, but the phone call really relaxed me. In my first couple of weeks, I felt super nervous about every phone call I made. By the time the third week came, I was picking up the phone naturally and felt more confident than ever. As I started my second rotation, I was able to answer calls very easily and was more helpful to the patients.

I have learned that UC Health has way more specialties than I had previously thought. Also, the complexity of patient referrals is something hard to learn. This patient could have 3 referrals at a time, and it would be very difficult to get appointments for them. This internship also has highlighted a problem in healthcare that is often swept under the rug. So many doctors are busy and new patients can’t be scheduled until 6 months out. Many of the patients have so much going on and are disheartened at the experience of these long wait times. These wait times are absolutely devastating to the patient’s physical health. When it comes to patients at Crossroads, I learned how long a patient’s history could be. Along with having possibly more than 2 referrals at a time, they could have more than 10 chronic and acute conditions. I am just making the appointment, but I can’t imagine being in the health provider’s shoes and having to treat a patient with these many conditions that factor into each other. The complexities that each provider must keep in mind amazes me. The patients I’ve met are so kind and just want to better their health and that makes me happy. I have learned so much about healthcare within this internship and this has inspired me more to be a part of the solution and become a doctor and encourage others to do what they can.