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Over the course of the semester, I completed my internship experience at Grant Medical Center, a sector of the OhioHealth system, in downtown Columbus. Whether it be holding critical newborns in the NICU, or visiting patients on hospital floors, there are a plethora of volunteer opportunities to meet different populations of people and also to see how the healthcare teams work in each department. For my experience, I chose to work in the Emergency Department, which, at Grant, is a Level 1 trauma center. As a Level 1 trauma center, the ED takes on major emergent cases from the surrounding areas. It also means that when other hospitals are on diversion, meaning they aren’t accepting any more patients because their ED is full, patients come to Grant. In either situation, I learned how important it is to stay alert yet calm.

One day, in particular, was extremely chaotic in the ED. Four Level 1 traumas had been brought in – two were major motor vehicle crashes and two were gunshot wound victims. Also, since the trauma patients required the majority of the healthcare providers on staff, the waiting room was full of people waiting to be seen by a physician. The ambassador and I sat at the front desk trying to reassure the people who had been waiting all day to see someone, while also trying to communicate with the frantic family members of the trauma patients. On top of all of that, one of the families of a trauma patient did not speak English, except for one of their younger boys. I could sense the boy’s discomfort as he had the added pressure of communicating between the hospital staff and his family. From that night, I learned the importance of demonstrating empathy through my actions. I couldn’t do or say much due to only being a volunteer, so I made sure that I stayed friendly and calm, even when others weren’t, and I maintained eye contact and stayed attentive to people when they talked to me. Also, I learned how important it is to communicate effectively with other team members. There are so many details when it comes to treatment for a patient and making sure everyone is on the same page keeps healthcare professionals from being misinformed, improves the person’s overall care, and allows family members to stay up to speed on their loved one’s care.

Another important aspect of Grant is that many times the people who need treatment come from an underserved population. By communicating with visitors, I was able to witness many of the health disparities that we learn so often about in class. I learned how important it is to look at people through a holistic perspective, and to remember that despite their circumstances, we are all human and just want to be treated respectfully and with compassion.

My experience taught me many things. Whether it was how to prepare a room for new patients or how to communicate in different situations, I believe that my time at Grant has given me a greater insight into the world of healthcare. These experiences are some that I will never forget, and I am grateful for the personal growth they have afforded me.

-Margaret Wiedt

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

I completed my internship with Suicide Prevention Services in Columbus, OH where I answer calls for the National Lifeline, Columbus Suicide Prevention Services, and the Columbus Senior Line. The internship consisted of completing an extensive training over the course of a few months before starting, in order to learn how to properly assess a caller. The following blog post will discuss the method that we use when people call any of our lines which is a technique that anyone can use when encountering a friend or peer who may be suicidal.

The first 5 minutes of the call begin by building rapport with the caller, introducing yourself, trying to get a name from them if possible, listening to the reason they called, and a lot of parroting.

For example:

• Volunteer: You’ve reached suicide prevention, can I help?
• Caller: I hope so; I’m just not feeling like myself.
• Volunteer: You’re not feeling yourself? (Parroting)
• Caller: No
• Volunteer: Well I’m so happy you called, my name is Emily and I’m going to try to help you out today? Would you like to share your first name?
• Caller: Sally
• Volunteer: Sally thank you so much, you are so brave for calling us. Could you tell me a little more about why you aren’t feeling like yourself?

After listening to their presenting problems it is essential to ask the suicide question even if you may not think they are suicidal. Not everyone who calls is suicidal, especially if they are using the Senior Line. Verbally saying “Sally, are you thinking of suicide today because of everything that’s going on?” really puts things into perspective for them when you say it out loud. If the answer is yes, we are trained to follow the acronym PIMP DADS to assess them.

• Plan: We ask the caller if they have any sort of plan. If they say yes, we figure out what the plan is, which they are usually pretty willing to tell. Let’s say their plan is to overdose on sleeping medication.
• Intent: This looks to see if the desire to do this is actually there. During this we may use parroting and say, “you want to overdose on sleeping medication?” They may change their mind with this question.
• Means: Since the caller said they wanted to overdose with sleeping medication it is important to figure out if they actually have the medication, how much of it, and what type it is. This may be useful if we need to contact Poison Control or dispatch 911. It is also important to ask if they have already done something to harm themselves with their means.  We also want to ensure that the mechanism they’ve identified for harming themselves is not right next to them. In this case I may ask if they can put the sleeping medications in another room, in a cabinet, or give them to someone to hold onto. This helps so they aren’t staring at them and continuing to have negative thoughts.
• Prior: We assess if the caller has attempted suicide before. It is important to get the time period as attempting last night versus attempting 10 years ago may have a big impact on the evaluation.
• Diagnosis:  We ask if they have had a previous mental health diagnosis. This can impact our problem solving as we can figure out if they have taken medications prescribed for them or if they are seeing a counselor soon.
• Alcohol: We ask if they have consumed any alcohol. This can impact the their sense of mind. If they answer yes we figure out exactly what it was, how much, and over what time period.
• Drugs: We ask if they have taken any drugs. If yes, we figure out exactly what it was, how much, and over what time period.
• Support: We figure out what type of support system they may have in their life. This can be anywhere from parents, siblings, close friends, religious leaders, or even pets. This can help identify people that they are living for and would be impacted by their death or could help them through this crisis.

This thorough assessment can be manipulated based on different situations, but from here we would begin to problem solve, identify resources for them, or intervene with police etc. All of this information would then be recorded in a detailed online call report.

I am so glad this internship has given me the opportunity to help others in a critical time of need and I am excited to continue this over the next couple of semesters and share what I learn!

-Emily Hayman

For my internship I observed several Occupational Therapists in different settings. I witnessed healing in many forms and was able to notice methods that were effective and distinguish them from methods that were less or even ineffective. This was an incredible opportunity to experience Occupational Therapy in a way that was extremely conducive to learning. This internship has increased my passion for this field exponentially.

I was always aware of the importance of knowledge when it came to healing. Health care providers need to have be acutely aware of the human body and its processes. This applies to an individual’s physical health as well as his or her mental health. It takes years of rigorous schooling and hands-on experience before being able to practice, and even after that there are continuing education requirements. Much of the healing a saw in observing therapy was this “scientific” healing. Therapists would record measurements each week, allowing progress to be quantified. For some patients this was encouraging, for some it was discouraging, and for many, it did not mean much to them. There were also generally exercises involved. They would consist of several motions, each a specific amount of reps at certain times of the day. All the notes, along with detailed images, were often provided to the patient as well. These were all things I expected to see. What I did not realize was what the art of healing was and the impact that it had on care.

When I say “art,” one may think of your favorite painting or maybe even of interpretive dance. That’s at least what initially came to mind for me. I have learned it to be so much more than that. The art of healing encompasses what it means to be a compassionate, empathetic, perceptive provider. This form of healing is in the kindness a provider shows a patient, the act of actively listening, or the personal relationship between the two. My preceptor told me about a time she took a patient to a park to go feed birds from her hand. This patient used to be an avid birder, but with her age, she had become legally blind and deaf and missed being able to see and hear the birds. I witnessed an emotional goodbye between another OT and his patient patient he had been working with for months. This deep, emotional connection was not something I had imagined I would observe in the settings I was in, but there it was.

This experience has showed me that when the science and art of medicine are combined, the product is a well-rounded, educated, compassionate health care provider. My passion for the field of Occupational Therapy has only become stronger through this class. I have been able to learn so much through others; I cannot wait to apply this to my own practice one day.

-Teresa Bell

Accepting a position at your first internship becomes a pivotal moment in our college careers, we are finally getting our feet wet, and getting a sneak peak of what we may potentially do in our everyday jobs. Coming into this internship I knew it was important for me to stay transparent, level headed and organized. Once I was accepted into the internship I knew I needed to keep expectations for myself and also remember my specific duties in this position to make sure I always provided the best outcome. Important duties for the Patient Experience Internship included serving as a resource to families regarding family support services within the medical center, assisting with communication of non-clinical information related to the ICU to family and visitors and making regular rounds in all areas of the MICU and SICU.

When I found out about this internship I knew it would be an amazing opportunity and experience for me. Moreover, when I found out about getting credit through OSU for an internship I knew that it was very beneficial for my education. I really enjoyed taking this course because I think it was important to come home from my internship each day and reflect on what I learned, improved on and could have done better for the next time. Not only self-reflecting, but also hearing about other students’ struggles and strengths is so inspiring and it really helps you connect with others who may be going down the same career path. One very important piece of advice about having an internship and taking this course would be to manage your time and always keep track of the hours you are putting into your internship to assure you are hitting 45 hours.

This internship as a whole has truly transformed my learning in communication and problem-solving skills. I found that it was very important to efficiently communicate non-clinical information to families and patients during a very emotional and stressful time. As a Patient Experience intern, I believe it was also important to be understanding and empathetic when it came down to emotional situations. Additionally, when you receive an internship like this you realize networking is a perk that comes along with it. I have come to learn about many services that OSUMC has as well as creating friendships with many incredible and diverse people who have expanded my knowledge of the medical field. I feel that this internship has strengthened my communication skills as well as inspired me to do what I love and continue to care and help people. I am honored for the incredible opportunity I was given and very thankful for all the people who encouraged me to apply for the internship and those who taught me throughout this experience.

-Sarah Chovitz