My internship experience this summer was with an organization called Physicians CareConnection, which is an affiliate of the Columbus Medical Association. PCC is a volunteer- based organization that helps coordinate care for vulnerable adults in Ohio. PCC hosts a free clinic on Monday nights for patients to see volunteer physicians in primary care as well as a rotating assortment of specialties that vary from week to week. However, the clinic is more than just free care for a medically under-served population, and much of their efforts are focused on finding a “medical home” for their patient once they are seen at the clinic. My time spent outside of the clinic in the administrative office was where I learned most about PCC’s care coordination model. Aside from specialty care, patients being seen at the Monday night clinic for primary care reasons are seen and treated and then referred to a federally qualified healthcare center that is most convenient for them. These federally qualified healthcare centers meet rigorous standards for providing adequate primary care for high risk patients in hard to reach populations, and receive federal funding in order to treat patients on a sliding-fee scale.
My favorite part of volunteering at the clinic was the community-based environment that the volunteers and staff fostered in the organization. I was also lucky enough to have many opportunities to network with volunteer healthcare professionals, shadow practitioners, and accumulate patient care experience. Being able to culminate both my experience in the clinic and in the administrative office also gave me a strong holistic understanding of the logistics of the entire operation, and learning about each different role in the clinic has equipped me to train other new volunteers in the future. To conclude, I felt that this internship was the perfect experience to end my undergraduate Health Science career and would recommend to all students pursuing a career in healthcare to consider volunteering with this organization as well.
-Emily Eames