Becoming a Wildcat

My service term has thoroughly impacted my life. Let's imagine that you are spending the day at The Roberto Clemente Wildcats Health Center. The morning begins with staff updates of the past 16 hours we were apart and the brewing of a nice pot of hot coffee that is a vital part of the day. By this time, I have booted up my computer and I have MAIL! I have come to love Outlook. It is my line of communication to the world of Erie and to many outside people that help me to complete my duties as Clemente's resident Health Educator. As a Health Educator, I am tasked with many duties that are major keys to the success of the students of Clemente. One of my top priorities is scheduling the vision and dental vans to see the students. This is not a one step process. First, I have to arrange for the Norwegian Dental Van & the Ageless Vision Van to see students at Clemente on a day or days that are best for the school and the students. In order for all students to know that vision & dental services are offered, I must advertise. I accomplish this task by using school intercom announcements and eye-grabbing flyers at Clemente. It's basically marketing to teenagers. You must keep it uncomplicated and to the point or you may lose your audience. I also engage with patients that are in the clinic for appointments to determine if they are in need of services. If the staff or I feel that the student would benefit from dental or vision services, we give them consent forms to take home to their parent or guardian. On the day the service is offered, I am in charge of managing the operations of the day to ensure patients are seen and providers have what they need.

Another part of my service that I have come to love is sexual education. This past week, I was able to co-teach a class of 7th & 8th graders with my fellow member Robin Kanemoto at Marine Leadership Academy. The experience was awesome! I am normally a very independent person, so asking for help is hard for me. I reached out to my fellow Erie members and Robin answered my call.

I would never be able complete all that is placed in front of me without the constant support of the clinic staff and my fellow Erie NHC members. I am constantly being supported and affirmed. I am always welcome to ask their opinions on ideas I may have. Even though I have only been a part of the team for 2 months, I have never felt like an outsider. As I begin my 3rd month of service, there are so many things that I am so thrilled to experience.

This blog post was written by NHC Chicago 2016-17 member Patricia Braboy.

Patricia is the Health Educator at Erie Family Health Center - Clemente and Westside.