I enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere of the staff and the attention to patient satisfaction I so strongly wished to witness as a shadow. I, also, enjoyed seeing the patients hear they were eligible for more benefits that would make their lives a lot easier with medical assistance.
What I wish was different
One thing I would've done different is to more effectively communicate the benefits of the Whole Person Care plan to eligible patients. At times we encountered a language barrier, a missing phone number, or lack of transportation. Some of these issues were offset by providing transportation to patients. Other times we had to involve other departments to mitigate language confusion.
Advice
In the future, it would be best to commit to longer shifts or possibly more hours to keep work flow steady and efficient. There were times that my set allotted time at the clinic would interrupt progression of a project. Being more flexible would've helped throughout the summer.
