Walking into Crossroad for the first time, I felt timid and out of place. I was unsure whether I had the necessary skills to interact with a patient or confidence to be speaking with more experienced professionals of the patient’s care team. After being briefed with the general do’s and don'ts of speaking with a patient, I remember my Shift Lead prompting me to attempt my first phone call. Hesitantly, I took the phone and stuck to the script, speaking in a small voice, afraid to say something out of order.
Despite feeling anxious about taking on a serious responsibility, I was able to learn quickly due to a plethora of resources. The supportive environment eased my nervousness, and I am grateful for older VIPs that were patient with my questions and guided me. As I began to make more phone calls, I started to notice certain barriers that would consistently delay scheduling referrals.
Though I was aware of barriers that prevented at-risk populations from accessing necessary healthcare, I learned about how specifically factors such as transportation, lack of insurance, or language barriers affected their ability to seek help for their needs. Some patients lived in more rural areas, so they needed to drive thirty to forty minutes just to access a hospital, because they required care beyond what their local clinic could provide. If these patients did not have insurance, they would not seek care and instead continue living with their health issues, which would develop into more chronic diseases. Patients that could not speak English fluently cannot schedule appointments by themselves, as they must understand terms such as “primary care provider” or medical jargon about their conditions. While scheduling referrals, I would often become frustrated for being put on hold for 20-40 minutes just to schedule one appointment or when appointment dates were available 3-4 months from the date it was scheduled. These patients have to live their day-to-day lives dealing with their pain until they can receive treatment. These experiences have informed me about the realities of the American healthcare system. I am thankful to be an outlet for these patients because they can talk about what they’ve been experiencing and voice their frustrations to me.
My words of advice to future VIPs are to understand that they were selected to be a VIP for a reason, so they are competent and qualified to assist patients with scheduling appointments and transportation. The training guides are excellent resources for navigating REDCap and Athena. Be ready to learn and do not hesitate to reach out to fellow VIPs for help.
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