Working in Primary Care was always an option for me. After my positive experiences at Oasis, however, I have become committed to working with underserved populations in the Primary Care setting. Being familiar with the field, Barb Grinwis was aware of, and encouraged, application to the National Health Corps Scholarship program. This is the letter of recommendation Barb wrote for me to contribute to my application file.
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THE EVENT: Christian Community Health Fellowship's National Conference (April 23-25, 2015)4/17/2015 At 5 am, Wednesday, April 22, 2015, I will start the road trip from Grand Rapids, MI to Atlanta, GA for the CCHF conference. This conference is designed to equip Christian health care workers with the knowledge necessary to "Encourage excellent, compassionate health care, ministering to spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of people and their communities." Some of the workshops I would like to attend include: "Integrated Spiritual Health in a Primary Care Environment", "For Those Who Would be the Future of a Movement", "HOPE: In Theory and (Medical) Practice", and "A Practical Guide to Depression", "Journeys in Rural Healthcare", "Treating Chronic Pain in a High Risk Environment", "Handling Challenges to Your Missions and Values", and "Bioethics: Intersection of Medicine, Technology, Law, and Theology." Many of these workshops even count towards Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits if I were to need them at this point in time! Amidst learning from the many experts on different facets of health care through the workshops, I will be volunteering for the CCHF conference staff for 6 hours as well as "working" a table for Oasis of Hope. I use quotations because I am privileged to represent our clinic by explaining what we do and what I've learned throughout my internship here. Topics of conversation will vary, but will be based around the following (which will be part of our display): In addition to having the above information available for those interested, I will also be passing out baggies with appointment cards, band-aids, and first-aid ointments which will be referred to as "Free Health Care".
Finally, my hope is to use the stories I have acquired throughout my internship (some of which are written throughout this blog) to engage in productive conversation that will benefit myself and potentially inspire altruist efforts in others as well. A typical week at Oasis as an Intern consisted of 18 hours of clinic time (12 Mon. - 6 Wed.). While I was at the clinic, my primary responsibility was to shadow clinicians during patient visits and learn from them as they practiced. However, when patients would cancel, I would perform tasks around the clinic per my supervisor, Barb Grinwis. Writing the stories that can be found under the "Blog" tab took about two hours per week.
There are some notable differences in my weekly schedule, and those are listed below:
The total number of hours = 320.5 hours + three days in Atlanta for the CCHF conference. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan was a staple to assist in educating patients on how to lower their blood pressure, as well as how to control patient diabetes and maintain a healthy lifestyle. The document provided is similar to the handout menus we distributed at the clinic.
DASH focuses on increasing servings of fruits, vegetables, and lowfat dairy products, while decreasing sodium and saturated fat. Plus, as Marcy Ellis, PA-C, stresses "Eat fresh and stay away from the 'boxes and bags.'" Reductions in blood pressure can begin in as little as two weeks. On 3/24/2015, I presented information at the Midwest Interprofessional Practice, Education, and Research Center Health Expo on resources for those substance and alcohol abuse issues. Although I presented as a part of my Allied Health Science Capstone class, I had the opportunity to speak on how Oasis of Hope assists the uninsured within Grand Rapids with this problem.
My undergraduate studies within the Allied Health Science major (along with this internship) led to the acceptance of an award at the GVSU Student Awards Convocation. The award was for being "the most outstanding undergraduate student within the Allied Health Science major" based on my transcripts and faculty selection.
By taking pictures, providing content for stories, or assisting in editing, I helped Oasis send out their newsletter to all of the supporters of the center.
All-in-all, the objectives of the internship contract were completed. My final project is based upon a presentation at the Christian Community Health Fellowship in Atlanta instead of the potential topics listed in the contract, however.
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Author: Cameron WilsonA student completing his last semester at Grand Valley State University and intern at Oasis of Hope free medical clinic in West Michigan. Come May 18th, Cameron will matriculate into the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Physician Assistant program. |