When I first learned that I was going to be working in a retirement community, I was somewhat upset. I was jealous of those who were working with the homeless, in hospitals, or in mental health centers, because those were things that interested me and I felt like I would learn more information that would prepare me for my future as a doctor at these places. When I learned some information about the NORC in Forest Hills, I was prepared to just go through the motions and just try to get an A grade in this class. The first week that I worked there, I was often bored and uninterested in working with older clients.
However, as I proceeded through the weeks working there, I gained an enormous amount of knowledge and felt proud to be working with the NORC. The first week was awkward to me. I would definitely consider myself to be an introvert, so I felt uncomfortable just being placed in a community center where the main services provided was social service. I remember the second day was when I first started with patient interaction. My preceptor introduced me to a client, and I later had a long conversation with him and also helped him copy some papers he needed. The elderly man was extremely nice, and the conversation we had was very pleasant.
We both put smiles on each other’s faces because we related on so many different levels. After this day, I realized that learning about medicine should not be the main goal of taking this class; it should be to learn how to connect with people and learn how to later on form doctor-patient relationships. However, after a couple of more weeks of working, I also learned about keeping a distance. This is something that I struggle with to a great degree, because I easily attach to people. A prime example of this would be when I would participate in blood pressure screenings in the community center.
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I would take clients’ blood pressures by myself except on Tuesdays and Thursdays because the nurse accompanied me on those days. There was always one lady who liked to talk a lot and always held up the line to take blood pressure, because we measured client’s pressures one at a time. This lady always wanted to have her blood pressure taken several times, even when the nurse and I told her that she must wait a certain time before your blood pressure again. The nurse always told her to get out the chair, but I never did so because I felt bad for her. She was an old lady who felt nervous often. She always talked to me about her problems and I felt a real connection to her. There was one week where she did not come once to take her blood pressure. I thought something had happened to her and I often asked the nurse if she ever heard anything about the lady. I then realized that I had grown too attached to her, and that I need to get less connected to her.
I actually missed her, but I to realize that I cannot get too emotional. The next week she was there, and when she greeted me she stated “Hi boyfriend”. I felt very uncomfortable and realized that I had overstepped my boundaries by getting too close to my client. The days that I saw her after she said that to me, I tried not to talk to her as much as I usually did. I really felt a struggle to maintain a balance of acting as her health care provider and being nice to her. I felt that it was almost impossible to be friends with someone, but also maintain a professional, health care relationship. As this course ends, I feel like I have gotten better balancing out these emotions.
I would not say that I am an expert in forming a friendly but professional relationship, but I believe I can reach that goal with more practice as I am provided with more education at Sophie Davis. This course has also taught me how to take initiative and do things without being told to. When completing my surveys in the beginning for my community project, I would often wait for my preceptor to introduce me to someone and I would complete the survey with that person. As I went on in the course, I started making my own phone calls independently and completed surveys without my preceptor telling me when to do so. I am usually not a person who is pro-active, but I feel like the course taught me that I needed to take initiative if I really want to be successful. Working at the NORC also taught me a lot about the elderly and healthcare provided for the elderly. I met many survivors of cancer, and met many people who have dementia, mental health issues, and problems with mobility.
I have learned much about what diseases and illnesses are common in the elderly, and what their health needs are. Through working here, I have also felt that the elderly are undervalued members of our society. There are elderly and child services provided in the building adjacent to the NORC. What I realized is that when booking a room for services, a service or program that was going to be provided for the children was much more preferred than a service for the elderly. The budget for the child services and programs were also more than the budget for the elderly services and programs.
I realize that people would much rather serve children since they are the future of our world, but the elderly should not be forgotten. I have grown much respect for the elderly that I would not have gained if I did not work here. I feel like the NORC in Forest Hills gave me an excellent education on social services and about the elderly. I have also learned much about medicine, as I would ask many health related questions to the very knowledgeable nurse that I shadowed. This class has really changed me. I am not only more knowledgeable about medicine, but I also now know more about forming relationships, being pro-active and taking initiative, and also about the elderly as a whole. Working at this NORC has encouraged me to go towards a career path in geriatric medicine, as I feel that taking care of the elderly is of the upmost importance. I hope that I never forget about my experiences working here, and I hope that I learn even more about the social aspects of being a doctor.
