#theVIPexperience Post #190: Mitchell Briggs

    

    "When I saw my first hospice patient pass away, I made a promise to myself that I would spend the rest of my life doing whatever I could to make sure that what happened to him would not happen to anyone else. To fulfill this promise, I knew that I needed to learn more about the field of healthcare itself, and I especially needed to learn more about the people most affected by its disparities. That passion drove me to Crossroad's Volunteer Internship Program, and I have been honored to fill this role ever since. 

    Every time I donned my blue polo and walked through the doors, I was greeted with a laundry list of conditions and medications from the people who needed our help. The on-hold music as I waited to schedule these patients' referrals was literally music to my ears, and I always looked forward to the subtle signs of relief that would come with the information that these patients were one step closer to the appointments that they desperately needed. 

    The new perspectives I have seen, the specific efforts behind the sciences in coordinating access to healthcare - what I have learned at Crossroad will follow me for the rest of my life. I have learned more than ever about the ailments that I hope to spend the rest of my life fighting as a physician. I have learned how daunting it can be to navigate the American healthcare system, as someone who plans to dedicate his life to it. More than anything, I have learned that I need to be a person on the front lines, fighting for the people that I would see every time I started my shift.

    For any future VIPs, I would offer one piece of advice: remember your purpose. Remember what you hope to accomplish in your long path to pursuing the career of your dreams. Remember why you want to pursue that career in the first place. If you can keep in mind that one thing that gets you out of bed in the morning, they you will be able to give the Crossroad patients the help that they deserve."