Humans of NHC- Meet Emily Powell, Clinical Care Coordinator at UPMC Second Ave Commons

Emily (Em) Powell was inspired to start a career in nursing during her time in Angola with her father when she was 13. While there, she met Marta, who provided healthcare for everyone within a 30-mile radius of the town where she lived. Em got to see the birthing process in Angola, where women would gather together and help take care of the mother- Em even had the opportunity to help Marta birth a baby.

While this early experience inspired Em to pursue a career in nursing, she says that she would rather “give birth without anesthesia” than go through her RN training again, given the sheer difficulty combined with the knowledge that anything that wasn’t retained could cost someone their life. This had a stressful impact on Em, and as a result her biggest advice to future healthcare providers is to shadow as much as possible, as this is the most realistic depiction of healthcare that one can experience before fully diving into the field.

Em is now the clinical care coordinator at UPMC Second Avenue Commons Health Center. At the clinic, she provides a variety of services ranging from wound care to basic optometry to medication support. Basically, she finds ways to address “anything that walks through the door.” One of the main reasons she loves what she does as the clinical care coordinator is due to the fact that at the clinic, care is provided regardless of insurance status. Em has a vision of a world where there is no need to be financially devastated for seeking healthcare, and her work in this clinic is representative of the vision.

Her favorite part of her job: “Everything but charting.”