Nudging Not Fixing

As a Healthy Start care coordinator, my primary role is to conduct Healthy Start screenings at UF Health. Screenings take anywhere from 15-20 minutes to complete. During these, I am expected to discuss breastfeeding, WIC, transportation, safe sleep, the Little Miracles Program, signs of preterm labor, healthy eating during pregnancy and postpartum birth control.  This basic information is discussed with every client; and it is adjusted in order to cater to any additional or specific needs of each mother.

 
After the 7th new mother of the day, I often begin to feel like a broken record repeating as much information as I can squeeze into my short interaction with a client. Any loss of eye contact or focus and I wonder, is my client even really listening to me? How much of this information will she retain; and will she utilize any of the resources I give her throughout her pregnancy or as a parent?

As an AmeriCorps member I feel that the biggest question for my service term so far is: am I really making a difference in my daily service? For my role at UF Health I typically don’t get the opportunity to follow up with my clients after their case is closed or transferred to a long term coordinator.  However, this past month, I was fortunate to get a small confirmation after following up with one of my clients at the Little Miracles Baby Shower. 

One of the many services we offer to reach out to the pregnant women of Jacksonville is a community baby shower. At the December Baby Shower I was able to talk with four of the women that I had personally referred to the Little Miracles program. One of the women I had met during clinic in the previous week was a first time mother with limited knowledge of child care and of what to expect with a newborn baby. Since I last spoke with her in clinic, she was able to make several steps in preparing for her delivery. Specifically, this mother had called and began her WIC services and was signed up for an upcoming breastfeeding course and a childbirth course offered at my host site. 

This moment was extremely affirmative of the efforts I am making and the impact I am able to have in my brief interactions with the women I am serving. Consequently, one of the best pieces of advice I have embraced throughout the first half of my service term, comes from the legacy binder left to me by a previous member: “although you may not be able to fix the situation, being able to nudge someone in the right direction is significant.”

This blog post was written by NHC Florida member Caitlin Stoll.

Caitlin serves at UF Health- Healthy Start as a Care Coordinator.