Goodbyes for Now

This week is my last volunteering session to be blogged about. The clinic was packed with patients. It had to have been the ridiculously cold weather, because everyone was sniffling and coughing! While I worked on more organization tasks for Nieves, I noticed many people were talking about getting the flu vaccine and then others were checking into their appointments because they think they have the flu. It was interesting to see that most of the patients with appointments were all having the same symptoms. The paperwork I was doing were lab results from previous week that needed to be entered into a new excel sheet for the start of December. Unfortunately, some of their computer programs, including excel were not working properly so I decided to come up with a different way to organize them to help Nieves out! She was extremely pleased and grateful when she saw that I was able to enter them in without excel, but on another program. She told me that this new way I entered them was probably more efficient for her so I am glad I was able to help! I guess those computer programming skills did come in handy ;-) . Another funny incident was that I saw a mother come in with her 8 year old son that had otitis media! I am recovering from that ear infection currently, so I was able to talk to her and tell her the symptoms I was experiencing. That was definitely a great encounter because I also felt like I was giving the Mom good information based on my personal experiences! Now just because this is my last blog....and I am sad...I already confirmed with Sam to keep volunteering next semester!!! I know next semester volunteering will be just as fulfilling as this semesters. Although at the beginning some tasks given to me were a little dull, I learned that every bit of help matters to the staff and patients of San Jose Clinic, and this was truly an eye-opener to what goes down with an undeserved population!

:-)

Change is Good...Right?

Last week, I came in hoping I would be able to start a database for the patient pharmacy receipts, but it turned out Nieves had something else in mind! When I walked into her office, her desk was COVERED in files. I looked at her and saw stress written all over her face. I will not lie, the stacks of files were intimidating!! Apparently, all those files got mixed up on her desk and she was frantically looking for all Lab receipts from November so she could turn them into the billing office.I knew she needed my help and I didn't hesitate to start organizing the day away! So I jumped right in and started pulling out all November lab receipts. After about an hour, and half my fingers numb ;-) , I organized all lab receipts from September-November. Nieves was pleased, and so was I. I could relate to her stress because it wasn't long ago that I had all my papers scattered on the floor, and I was searching for just ONE. I have definitely understood what it means to stay 'organized'. Although my next visit will be my last one 'blogged' about, I have decided to continue volunteering! I will end up missing Nieves' cluttered office and different tasks asked of me! I usually don't get asked for help a lot of the time, so it is nice being needed!

until next time!

Oops!

Today I went in to finish the November excel sheet Maria and I started on Friday. As I was doing the excel sheet I noticed the way we set it up was kinda CONFUSING....just a little...so I reformatted the file in a way that would be easy to read and interpret. As I am sitting down in the front lobby, keying data in a million letters a second, an older woman rushes in the clinic screaming, "WHERE CAN I MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AT??!!". The lady at the receptionist kept trying to calm her down, but she went on stammering about how its frustrating that San Jose has doctor appointments booked until January. I felt bad hearing this but at the same time, I felt relieved in a way because it means that more people are being taken care of. It was an exciting discovery for me to see that San Jose's staff was taking the initiative to go the extra mile and seeing more patients over the weekend instead of just Monday-Friday. When that episode was over, I continued back with my excel programming and finished the November entries! It felt SO GOOD putting in the last patients name. As I was walking up to Nieves' office to tell her I finished, I started wondering if I could incorporate stuff I am learning in my bioinformatics classes with my tasks at the clinic. I suddenly got motivated to try and make a database for the clinic. I wasn't sure how long it would take me, or if it would even work, but I am thrilled to pitch the idea to Nieves and try it out. I am sure she will be happy to hear my proposal and I truly believe this database could help the clinic with their organization! Starting on a big project like this makes me feel like I am going out with a bang. Its a little sad that this semester is almost over, and therefore these blogs will soon end, BUT I decided I am going to keep on volunteering at San Jose and keep up with being Nieves' part-time personal data assistant because I like knowing that my help is doing something for them no matter how minor it may be :-)


until next time :-)

Help is on the Way!

This past Friday, I went to volunteer in the morning with Maria W. We met up with Nieves and she gave us a task we could both work on together. We were going to make a new excel sheet for November's patient lab visits. Once again, I was getting a new task to do! This task was interesting because it let me have another chance to do more computer programming work! I typed in the patient information as Maria read them out loud so the process went by a lot faster and we both got a lot more done. Nieves seemed pleased that there were going to be two of us working on this task and that made me happy. I feel like I am lifting a weight off Nieves' shoulder when I come in to help her because she seems more calm and relaxed when she gives me stuff to do and sometimes it feels as if I am her personal assistant, which is awesome because she is always telling me she needs someone to help her 24/7. It is starting to feel like a normal routine for me and I also get positive feedback from Nieves every time I come to volunteer! It does feel good to help them out because they were short staffed and Nieves had to work at the front desk taking appointments instead of in her office. Hopefully next time I can finish the November excel sheet and try to format the template for the December excel!

until next time :-)

Big Picture

I am definitely liking my volunteering sessions on Fridays! Instead of going in the afternoon, I went in the morning and had a slightly different, but rewarding experience. I met up with Nieves and she gave me a new project to do. Although every project she gives me gets completed in one sitting, I really like knowing that I am helping with many tasks! It allows me to learn more and see other parts of the clinic. I got my access to the healthport system and began fixing a couple pharmacy billing statements for patients. To my surprise, I finished the stack of bills pretty quick and Nieves was very pleased and then handed me another HUGE stack. The process of entering and changing the pharmacy bills isn't the most exciting task, but I know by me doing that job Nieves can spend her time doing something more important in that moment, especially since the clinic was unusually busy for a Friday. As I waited for Nieves to find more papers to be entered in, I took the time to sit and observe the clinic. I over heard a patient talk about how she lost her job and is about to lose her home. I don't like hearing things like that because it makes me frustrated people are living in those conditions, but in reality there are MANY people like that woman who aren't employed and barely holding on. It does make me happy however, that San Jose takes care of people like that especially since they wouldn't be able to pay for health care. With any task that I work on at the clinic, no matter how boring or small it is, has taught me to look at the bigger picture....every small amount of help counts and it is making a difference!

until next time :-)

Friday Afternoons: not so slow after all!

On Friday afternoon I headed over to the clinic to notice it was unusually QUIET. There weren't many patients, doctors, nurses, or even staff members around. I went up to Nieves' office and saw that she was frantically trying to find a stack of certain billing papers. She told me that she really needed my help with sorting out the billing statements and by the looks of her office (papers EVERYWHERE) I didn't hesitate in offering my help! She took me to the adult clinic section where there was a big table for me to spread all the papers out on and start sorting. She kept telling me over and over again how much she appreciated me coming on a Friday afternoon to help her out since she really needed to give the papers to the payment office by 5pm. I really love how each time I have been coming to the clinic I am given a new task. I get to work in new areas, meet new staff members, and I feel like I am really helping them out even if it is just sorting out billing statements. I have to admit, I didn't mind volunteering at the clinic when it was empty. There is something peaceful about sitting in the clinic and seeing just a few patients at once. It was probably because I was exhausted that afternoon...BUT, I do love seeing it super busy as well because watching everyone moving in fast paces trying to help patients out feels like I am in an episode of Grey's Anatomy.
When I finished sorting out the statements for the week, Nieves looked so relieved and that made me happy. She did apologize for giving me a 'boring' job but I told her help is help and that is why I am here! :-) I am looking forward to next week to see what task is in store for me!!

until next time!

Help For Everyone!

For my volunteering session on Thursday, Ana asked me to assist her with the HTML work she had been working on. I came in and sat down with her so she could show me what she had been doing thus far. It was very different from what I had been doing before but really interesting! I will admit, looking at all the HTML code was a little intimidating, but once I sat down and reviewed it that intimidation went away. I was really glad Ana asked to me work on it and help her transferring the data from the old website to the new website since it is a lot of work and I know she was put under a deadline to finish the website...plus...two brains are better than one! :) Ana also told me Lindsey (woman in charge of HTML website) was really thrilled to hear Ana was going to have assistance since it is a lot of work and she wants it done by November. I think it is necessary for this clinic to have the website so that patients or future supporters/donors can have a chance to virtually see how the San Jose Clinic is so awesome. I am happy I have this opportunity to help out with a different task in the clinic that needs tending to since I have had taken a class on web-mastering before! My skills in HTML aren't very advanced but the code for data transfer isn't so complicated.

I still plan on continuing with the other tasks I have been doing so far at the clinic but, if needed I will be helping Ana next week with completing or trying to complete the data transfers. Although I really liked working on the HTML, I miss sitting in the lobby working on the files since I am able to interact more with patients downstairs than upstairs in the office. Either way I am very willing to help and assist wherever needed!

until next time! :-)

New Side Project

For my volunteering session this week I worked on a new project! When I walked into the clinic it didn't seem as busy or crowded as I saw in the previous week. I met up with Nieves (correct spelling!) and she told me they were going to get me a computer log in user name so that I could finish the data file entries. Unfortunately, the lady in charge of giving me a computer log in was at a meeting. Instead of entering in files to excel, Nieves had me pull out patient charts for certain doctors. For each month coming up (October, November, and December) for the year 2011, certain doctors wanted their patient charts grouped and piled in a specific place so that they can review them before they see their patients during their appointments. The charts that I pulled out were for the dermatologists. Most of the patients seeing the dermatologists were for acne, mole removals, and other skin conditions. After I pulled out the charts, I sat next to the receptionist and helped her organize some paperwork. After an hour into my session the clinic started getting busier. There were many patients coming in to admit their children to the pediatrician. Most of the children came in with runny noses, ear aches, coughs, and fevers. Also, many adult patients were coming in for dental check-ups as well. My session at the clinic was quiet but still informative. I learned about the common conditions most patients go see the dermatologist for!

until next time!

Never Ending Files

Wednesday I started my official volunteering at San Jose Clinic! I got there at about 10:30am and noticed right away they were very busy. There were patients waiting to see a doctor inside the building and also waiting outside. When I walked in Sam met me and took me upstairs to meet Neeva (spelling?). She was a very nice lady who showed me where I will be working and also what exactly I was to do. We went back downstairs and she took me into the workroom that is FILLED with patient files. All the files are ordered by number and there were THOUSANDS! She told me that there were students who started working on them in the summer and only got about half way through. I was very happy that I could help because it sure looked like they needed to get these files entered asap! She logged me into the computer and I started entering the patient information into an excel sheet. They have the data organized by patient number, name and birth date. I sat in the lobby with another lady named Patricia who handles the scheduling. Her phone NEVER stopped ringing. Patients were calling every minute making appointments. I noticed a majority of the appointments were for dental and eye care. All patients have a card (paper) with their name on it and can only make an appointment if a card was issued to them. In order to be cared for at this clinic they have to provide pay checks (weekly or biweekly), tax return (if they filed) and proof that they are unemployed (if they have no job or are disabled). There are certain standards and amounts that guarantee them a spot as a patient. Also, while I worked the Houston Fire Department was doing an inspection of the building since it is fairly new. There were many firefighters in the lobby and it was pretty entertaining watching them joke around with some of the doctors and nurses.
Overall, I was really happy to help and I had a fun time doing it. The people that work in the lobby are really fun and very helpful. Patricia told me that the patients actually pay a co-op fee but the it is so small that its not a burden for them.

until next time! :-)

Volunteer Orientation :-)

On Friday afternoon I drove over to San Jose Clinic for my orientation. I was surprised  when I arrived at my location that the building is new and looks really nice. To be honest, I was expecting something different considering the area the clinic was located in. When I walked into the clinic I noticed that the inside was beautiful. There were stained glass and paintings covering the ceiling and walls. Sam (volunteer coordinator) later told me that the stained glass were antiques some of the nuns had kept away and that the building and all its necessities were built on donation! When I met with Sam in the lobby I was happy that she was very fun and energetic. The orientation started off with a video over OSHA regulations, paperwork and a tour. During the paper work, Sam told us that they serve people who are living at 200% or more below Federal Poverty Level. THAT IS AMAZING. I couldn't believe that there were so many people in this area living with those conditions and that San Jose Clinic were so generous enough to not charge them for visits. There are 60 doctors on staff who are NOT paid and volunteer their time. Hearing that pleased me so much because in the future when I become a doctor I hope to give back by volunteering or participating in doctors without borders!
During the tour, Sam showed us all the sections of the clinic including the pharmacy and dental unit. Each section is divided in an organized way and the decorations for the pediatric unit were very cute :). Once the tour was over Sam let me know what tasks I will be doing for my volunteering session. I will be transferring their hard copy patient files into their computer database! She said it will be a lot of work but I am up for it!
Another exciting thing Sam let me know was that once my 10 hours of volunteering are up I can start shadowing doctors! I am looking forward to my time at San Jose!

until next time!

High Expectations

          “Volunteer, not so you can build your resume, but so you can build yourself.” 

I instantly thought...well yes...of course that quote makes sense, but I can't say the idea of volunteering to build up my resume didn't ever cross my mind. I didn't really become a believer in this quote until I started volunteering in the Ronald McDonald House at Texas Children Hospital. Going into volunteering for the first time I didn't have any expectations for myself or for the organization. I guess in a way that was naive of me, but after my first couple of sessions I started realizing the impact my help made on the patients and how the patients affected me. Even when people were struggling to not break down they still managed to make jokes and put a smile on my face. It was nice to hear them tell me I made a huge difference in the happiness of their time spent in the hospital. 

I decided to volunteer at the San Jose Clinic. This will be my first time volunteering at a health clinic. The type of patients and medical conditions will be new to me and  I am very anxious to see what will be in store for me to experience and learn. I know the population of patients is from an under served area but I believe this will make my time spent there more exciting. I want to help the clinic in any way that my skills will allow. If they need me to do computer work or help further educate their patients with medical brochures--I am up for it! I hope I learn more about the common medical diseases of this area and to meet people with life stories different from mine.

 

stay tuned for my first volunteering session! :-)