- What insights and skills are you hoping to gain?
Throughout my internship at Bradley Free Health Clinic (BFC) in Roanoke, I’d like to learn more about the healthcare system, how it operates and influences those working within these structures, as well as the people who receive health resources from organizations, such as BFC. I hope to gain insight on the populations of people the organization serves. This may include insights on the needs of the individual, of the community, and insight on which health specialties are most robust or need further development and/or resources.
The skills I am looking forward to developing are those associated with best serving BFC, be it organization, task management, team-building, or a good sense of intuition. Currently, some of my responsibilities include preparing exam rooms, entering patient information and volunteer data, checking patients in, and cleaning rooms. Many of these items are ones I have little to no experience in, so one of my fears as an incoming intern is falling short of the Clinic’s expectations or needs, or rather, that I am not as helpful or qualified on my part. This insecurity in mind (but also aside), I’m coming in with the goal of serving as best I can and knowing that it will involve particular skill sets that I will develop and build through doing and engaging myself in the work.
In learning about the ways in which the clinic works towards mobilizing an individual’s capabilities through the lens of health and policy, I’d like develop my communication skills. Specifically, how to communicate accurately and acutely the needs of the community, the goals of the organization, in addition to expressing my own thoughts and feelings on poverty- and health-related issues. Because I currently have strong aspirations to have a career in public health, I hope this experience will give me the opportunity to “shadow” and learn from BFC’s employees, volunteers, and patients. Even more, I’d like to build the skills relevant to patient care. For example, I hope to gain insight in the kind of dialogue between patients, healthcare providers, and community workers to better understand the considerations and processes of making health services more accessible. And from there, learning how a patient’s needs translates into work done to change circumstance, whether at the organization’s level or at the policy level. In surrounding myself in this atmosphere, I want to build a more inclusive and mindful vocabulary: the language in which fosters a sense of comfort and transparency in a patient is, I feel, an incredible skill to have as a healthcare provider. This kind of language is one that builds trust and encourages the sort of vulnerability that strengthens the relationship.
More broadly, I wish to have the skills that facilitate meaningful interactions in the relationships I build from here on out. I want to be a more purposeful, engaged, and informed community member and student. I do not expect nor wish for all my “training” in these aspects to come from BFC, but I sincerely hope that my experience at BFC will offer me a sense of direction or inspiration that I can take with throughout and beyond my education.
2. What are questions and/or concerns do you bring into this experience?
One of my questions going into the summer is how does the Clinic continue to operate and serve members of the community as a non-profit—with the donations received, what are the factors that most influence the Clinic’s direction and funding. Additionally, what considerations are made, how they are made, to ensure that BFC is as patient-centered and community-driven as possible. I’d like to know more about how the Clinic responds directly to the needs of the community, and the limits of systems that might govern the accessibility to affordable healthcare.
A concern I have is the extent to which the Clinic reaches vulnerable populations. I believe there is much being done to reach people who may benefit from BFC’s resources, but I am curious to know more about their approaches to outreach and more detail about what makes one eligible to receive these resources, in regards to income thresholds or poverty-related circumstances.
I wonder about the ways the Clinic protects and uplifts the voices of patients, particularly in their Roanoke Hope Initiative program, mental health programs, and their Women’s Health resources—how the organization, and as members of the organization, can support the various narratives of different patients without the risk of exploiting, harming, or disrespecting them. Generally, how does the Clinic go about honoring the dignity of each person the organization serves?
Because my interactions with the healthcare system have been limited, I am curious as to how it works under this particular example that BFC presents. How, in the most respectful and thoughtful ways possible, can the healthcare system promote an individual’s autonomy and capabilities?