Erin's Events ~ Day 2

Day 2

On Monday we started the morning off with a civil rights scavenger hunt. This was a great way to become more familiar with the history that Washington D.C. encompasses. It was raining and chilly outside but our coffee from Caribou warmed us up as we began walking. : )

After returning from our scavenger hunt we met with Sharon Watkins, RN who is the wellness center director at N. Street Village. Sharon is an extremely fascinating woman. Her knowledge and character regarding the homeless is captivating. We all discussed what motivated us to come to Washington D.C and interact with the homeless population. Personally, I wanted to be a part of this clinical immersion because of my lack of knowledge regarding the homeless population. I wanted to be immersed in a culture that could show me this population at face value. As our discussion continued, Sharon enlightened me to so many powerful ideas.

I think one of the most powerful ideas was the right of independence and choice that EVERYONE is entitled to. We discussed how frustrating it may be if a homeless person is given $10.00 and uses every cent to purchase cigarettes or alcohol. Regardless of your opinions or even persuasion and education not to do this, they still have the right to choose what they want to do with that money. This is also so applicable as health care professionals because we can talk until we are blue in the face on how important it is to avoid salt in your diet, exercise or take this medication. However, what is important to us as health care professionals may not be as important to your patient. They still have the right to choose what is best for them based upon their specific circumstances. As Angelique mentioned in an earlier blog, we should base our success more on the efforts we put into the situation and what our patients decide at the end of the day is out of our hands. It is so important to put 100% effort into assisting the patient. It is also equally as important to put a biased ideas or judgements aside when the patient makes a decision because it is ultimately THEIR choice not OURS.

Sharon also discussed the impact that a health care professional can have on the homeless. She explained that if a homeless person has a negative experience it may hinder them from receiving any type of medical help in the future. This was important to know as we prepared for our blood pressure clinic later that afternoon. Some advice she offered is to not crowd the patient or stand at angle when talking with them versus square with their body and up close to their face. This will allow the experience to be less threatening. These are just a few simple things that we can do to allow every person to have a more positive experience with a health care professional.

As we started the blood pressure clinic, I was nervous because I have not really interacted with a lot of homeless people before. I became more comfortable as the day progressed. Many of the women were very eager to share their feelings and were so appreciative that we were there. Throughout the clinic, I kept thinking to myself how rewarding this opportunity is becoming and the wealth of knowledge that I have already gained. THANKFULNESS!