Of Apprehension and Appreciation

The past few months have changed my life drastically. December mornings, although still dreary, now have a purpose to them.

I make my way to Health Center 5, surprised that the year is about to end. My thoughts are replaced with cheerful waves and acknowledging nods as I do my routine “good morning” walk around the health center. I sit at my desk to gather my thoughts and the minute the clock strikes 8:00 AM, I hear “PAP to the front desk”. No two days are the same at the health center. I greet the patient who is here to see me and go over the necessary steps to submit a prescription assistance application. The patient is worried that their medication might take up to two weeks to arrive, but I am quick to interject and hand them a sample. An immediate sense of relief takes over the patient’s face as I walk him out of my office.

As I work to finish the application, I hear another “PAP is needed in Team B”. I rush through my door and am stopped by a patient on the way.

“You were the girl who gave me my glasses! See?”

I am overjoyed that she remembered who I was and am even happier that she is wearing her glasses regularly. We exchanged a few words and I rushed to Team B. One of the providers recommended their patient to enroll in our remote patient monitoring (RPM) program. I explain the specifics to the patient and bring him to my office so that I can set up his blood pressure monitor. He is happy that his providers will be observing his blood pressure regularly since he wants to be held accountable. Towards the end of the onboarding process, he tells about his grandchildren and why as their sole care-giver, it is imperative that he maintains a steady blood pressure. I do my best to acknowledge his sentiments and affirm the actionable steps he has outlined for himself.

The rest of my day goes by quickly with patients coming in to pick up their medications and a few more RPM onboardings. I eye the ever-increasing pile of paperwork on my desk and decide to stay behind during the evening clinic to catch up. As I left for home, I remembered how apprehensive I was during my first week of host site service. The fear of not knowing the ins and outs of my duties rendered me sleepless even before I started serving. Fast forward to almost three months after that, that feeling of apprehension has since been replaced by one of appreciation.