6 Months In - NHC Philly

Last week marked my sixth month of serving with National Health Corps Philadelphia. I thought I would reflect on some of the most valuable experiences I have had.

The majority of my service has been spent at Philadelphia Department of Public Health Ambulatory Health Services - Health Center 5 as a Patient Advocate, better known in the health center as the Prescription Assistance Program or PAP.. Serving in North Philly has given me a snippet of what life is like for some of the people in this community. The gratitude I receive each time someone picks up a medicine is still surprising, until I remember the full retail value for just one month of some of these medications which treat diabetes, asthma, gout, etc. can be $400 dollars. However, even with this kind of access, , some medicines will sit in my office for months, and I will call and send letters wondering why patients haven’t been picked up their medication.  Sometimes they just forget, and other times it is because they face a variety of barriers that prevent them from coming into the Health Center. Some patients can't risk taking time off work, are taking care of a sick relative, or  they are unable to take the bus and are waiting for a ride. This is humbling, besides not having insurance for various reasons, everyday these patients face even more barriers to access their healthcare.  Many people don't face or consider any of these obstacles.

Another rewarding opportunity I have had while serving at Health Center 5 is shadowing a Family Planning Nurse Practitioner. I had no idea I would have this opportunity when I started serving, and it has been the best learning experience as I hope one day to be a Nurse Practitioner. Every Wednesday  I sit in on the NPs patients' visits, whether it's a STD screening, yearly exam, pregnancy test, patient looking for birth control, or if they have some kind of infection. I thought I would just be observing,  but that is not the case. The NP will quiz me on what she prescribed to these patients, the proper way they should do self breast exams, or take their birth control.  I look under the microscopes at cells to see if they have an infection, and to see if I can identify the infection on my own. Since I am doing this every week the information is really getting solidified in my brain. I am so grateful as I don’t think  many people have this opportunity before they even start nursing school!

Lastly, I would like to thank the National Health Corps for all the skills I have acquired during outside service projects, as well as at my host site. For example, learning how to test urine for protein at the National Kidney Foundation screenings, which we have participated in twice. Learning how to be a temporary tattoo expert at Rubye’s Kids Christmas Party. Becoming an expert in detailed mural painting while serving at City Year Philadelphia's various events, learning how to be a server at Grace Cafes Sunday meal serve, and probably a very unusual skill for a millennial- how to send a fax. I can’t wait to see what these last few months bring!
 

This blog post was written by NHC Philadelphia member Michelle Clifford.
Michelle serves as the Patient Advocate at Philadelphia Department of Public Health-Ambulatory Health Services: Health Center 5.