Processing

It feels good to have officially survived my first week of work- actually I'm not gonna say I survived, but that I thrived (Bridesmaids anyone?). I'm going to continue to talk about how much I love working at this clinic. It's really a unique place in that it seems like every employee lives out their mission statement every day. It's such a breath of fresh air to see these social workers, therapists, psychiatrists, nurses, doctors, etc. treating their patients with dignity and the utmost respect, both to their face and behind closed doors. Too many times at other hospitals have I overheard medical professionals badmouthing their patients as though they are undeserving of medical care, whereas at this clinic I overhear the medical professionals talking about their patients as if they're family members. This is exactly the kinds of place I hope to work for my whole life. I also love the people I work with. Something they've all been telling me, and something I've also been experiencing firsthand, is that when working at a place like this, you need to have a sense of humor. They're always playing little pranks on each other and teasing and joking (yes, even the doctors and psychiatrists)- so of course I fit right in....at least that's what I tell myself anyway ;)

The days go by SO quickly. From 9 to 12 I work in the medical part of the clinic, assessing patients before the doctor or other medical professional sees them, and in the afternoon I sit in with patients during psychiatry and therapy sessions working as a behavioral health case manager. For those of you who don't know, a behavioral health case manager acts somewhat as a liaison between the psychiatrist and the patient, and gets the patient whatever resources they might need. It has been an amazingly humbling experience. I'm 22 years old, and pretty much all of the patients are older than me, whether that's by two years or thirty years, and I'm well aware that some of them might not be okay with telling me all of their most personal business (although some of them are too okay with telling me more than I need to know). However, it has been quite an experience seeing, hearing, and experiencing some of the things that I've already come across this first week. I serve people who have experienced extreme financial hardship, homelessness, sexual, mental, and physical abuse, and so much more. During clinical assessments it takes all I have to take down the notes with no reaction, and remain as professional and confident as I can be, while inside I'm feeling their pain. I'm confident that as I get more experience this will become easier, but being thrown into this so quickly has been a bit of a shock- but a good shock nonetheless. I feel like I'm being told "Here's this population that most people don't even know about, and you're going to serve them and learn all about everything they're going through firsthand." It's experiences like this that fuel my passion and desire to become a doctor and push me even harder to put every ounce of my being into it. I want to bring hope to the people I serve. So many of them are in desperate, seemingly hopeless situations, and I want them to know what Paul says in Romans 5 and what I am so confident about, that "hope does not disappoint us." I know I'm not going to change the world and fix everyone's problems, but I am at least going to try to bring hope to the faces I get the privilege to see.

Aside from the clinic, my housemates and I have been enjoying some much needed down time (even though it is still very little). We've had a chance to have a few meals around our table together, talk about our jobs, our hopes for the year, our struggles, and provide each other with support. I'm really enjoying getting to know each of them even more- they are fascinating people, and the organizations they work for are incredible as well. Chris works at Donnelly College, where they provide affordable education for minority groups and those who might not be able to attend college. Morgan works at Legal Aid of Western Missouri where they provide legal services to individuals, families and groups faced with economic barriers in obtaining civil legal representation, and work on projects designed to concentrate services in areas of particular concern to the client community. And finally, Allie works at Operation Breakthrough, an incredible daycare that helps children who are living in poverty develop to their fullest potential by providing them a safe, loving and educational environment. They also support and empower the children's families through advocacy, referral services and emergency aid. (I took most of that from the organization's mission statements, but these places all really live out their missions every day). I really encourage you to type these places into your search browsers and check them out- they're so cool! Anyway, I keep forgetting to bring my camera memory card with me to the computer lab, but there are lots of pictures to come! Thanks for visiting!
Rejoice,
Heidi