A Day in the Life of a PHC Member

April 16, 2014

7:15AM –  I woke up to my third alarm, feeling as though I hadn’t gotten a decent night’s sleep in about a week. I’ve been a member in Philadelphia Health Corps for over seven months, so my days have become fairly predictable. Today, since I ‘Snoozed’ on my first two alarms, I only have time to shower and grab a banana and a Boost Diabetic Nutrition Supplement (which I got from Mary, the diabetic educator at my site – bless her) for the road. I leave my front doors at 7:50AM.

8:45AM - The bus pulls up to my host site. Transit time: 55 minutes. I once thought that this was ludicrous and unreasonably long, but I found out that the other Health Corps members had similar transit times. With enough time, I got used to the (still odd) trolleys, the loud trains, and the buses that are rarely on time. If a bus is scheduled to come every 20 minutes on the hour, I assume that it will come around approximately every 20 minutes, but on no particular schedule. I now read on the bus, which has become my refuge. Transportation is no longer frustrating as it is an assumed inconvenience. I exit the bus’s front door and walk toward my host site.

9:00AM - I got to my site at 8:45AM, 15 minutes before we begin seeing patients. This is enough time to settle in, review that which was left over from the day before, and prepare for today’s influx of patients. Once nine o’clock rolls around, I need to be in the Nurse Practitioner’s office to be available for patients they need me to see. The morning is busy, but otherwise uneventful. I see three patients: one does not qualify for insurance (these are the worst conversations), but the other two qualify for Medicaid. One patient submits an application during her visit. These applications normally take only 15-20 minutes, but she is really cool and asks a lot of questions about Minnesota when I reveal to her that it’s my home state. The meeting runs for 45 minutes, and the patient only leaves after she has thanked me five times over. The other patient is in a rush, schedules an appointment, and hurries out of the clinic.

12:00PM - Lunch!! This has quickly become my favorite part of the day. There was a time early into my service where I would shirk lunch because I was so busy, eating only when I had a minute between calling patients. But I came to recognize that I was experiencing general fatigue, burnout, and exhaustion. I now take 30-45 minutes, leave my office, and enjoy my lunch. I’m not much of a cook, so I have a ham and cheese sandwich, carrots, and an apple.

12:45PM -  On Mondays, my afternoons are spent in admin time. This means that I have time to fax documents, call patients, and do other administrative tasks. I call ten patients and return the calls of another eight patients who left me voicemails from the morning and late in the day before. Even though it’s my admin time, I still get calls from Nurse Practitioners to meet with patients about insurance and prescription assistance programs, so I recognize the importance of being flexible and helping patients however I can. This afternoon, however, there is only one call, and I’m able to spend most of my time with paperwork and the phone.

5:00PM - Time to head home! I walk out the door just as the bus is leaving the bus stop, so I have to wait another ten minutes before the next bus comes. Again, I normally read on public transportation, but today I listen to a podcast of This American Life. The trip home takes only 50 minutes, but combined with the 10 minute wait, it totals an hour. Thankfully, I don’t need to go grocery shopping or do laundry (which I normally save for the weekend anyway). Tonight, I’ve been invited to have dinner with another PHC member, and I rarely turn down a warm meal. I leave my house and head to her place, which is only a few blocks away.

6:30PM - I arrive at Belinda’s and we start cooking. As we cook, we talk about our host site frustrations. Talking with other Health Corps members is a cathartic way to deal with the goings-on as a Health Corps member, and I’ve found it important to spend time with other Health Corps members, especially since I don’t live with any. Tonight, we made eggplant pizza and chili. Belinda lives with other Health Corps members and one of them joins us. We talk about our future plans and relationships, religion and politics. Nothing is off-limits. 8:30PM rolls around, and I tell Belinda I need to head home for the night. I don’t help her wash dishes (whoops!) and I make my way home.

8:45PM - When I get home, I spend time texting my friends, watching TV, studying Spanish, and roaming the internet. Before I know it, my phone shows 11:45PM and I roll into bed, already thinking about tomorrow.
 

This post was written by PHC member Nolan Anderson.
Nolan serves at the Family Practices and Counseling Network - Abbottsford Falls as a Health and Benefits Advocate.