This is my first blog post EVER and already I'm behind! Hopefully I can get into the habit of blogging this summer - it's already hard to remember everything that has happened!
Although Wednesday was my fist "official" day of my Ingram summer project, last week was my orientation week in which I learned basically everything there is to know about Siloam. The volunteer coordinator, Kate, has been awesome in making sure that I meet everyone and learn all that I can to make my time at Siloam more effective and well-rounded. I shadowed physicians and nurses, met with almost every member of staff, did several different volunteer roles, and started discussing a few of my upcoming projects.
On Wednesday, I jumped pretty much right into work. I am working on a diabetes project with Dr. Graber, an endocrinologist who volunteers at Siloam. My role is to review all of the charts of patients who have diabetes at Siloam and record data pertinent to the study. The purpose is to determine if there is a link between language barriers, demographics, and ethnicity in relation to diabetes, which can help to improve care of these patients in the future. Friday morning, I shadowed Dr. Graber while he visited his diabetic patients so that I could further understand and have a personal connection to the project. This was by far my favorite part of the week - Dr. Graber explained everything to me, taught me about endocrinology and diabetes, and let me help examine the patients so that I could really understand their conditions. It was very easy to observe, however, how language differences can create great barriers in communication between doctor and patient. I hope that the project I'm working on this summer can shed some light on this problem and offer solutions in the future by opening doors for community health workers, native speakers, and volunteers to enhance communication and improve the condition of diabetic patients at Siloam.
I have also been working closely with Eva, the refugee coordinator at Siloam. Every Monday morning, we have anywhere from 15 to 60 refugees come to Siloam for their 10-step physical. Part of my work this summer will involve helping to coordinate their arrival with their refugee caseworker, coordinate their flow through the clinic, and prepare their charts and background sheets. It has been really interesting to see where the refugees come from, where they live in Nashville, what their prior occupations were, etc. This upcoming Monday we have 56 refugees coming to Siloam so it definitely will be a hectic morning! Along with Eva, I am also helping to plan a "patient luncheon" in which a Burmese refugee (a patient of Siloam) is coming to speak to everyone at the clinic about life as a refugee. We are hoping that it will help educate everyone on the refugee experience and learn a little more about Burma, where many of our refugees come from.
I am also anxious to get started working on the Community Outreach portion of my project. On June 17, Bonnie, the year-long intern at Siloam is giving a presentation on her results of the nutrition class at Clairmont and providing suggestions for future outreach. After this, I will hopefully get started with Bonnie on planning fall course in the Clairmont apartments again and also in other areas of Nashville. I have also spoken with Eva about doing a Mental Health Outreach day in the refugee communities, since they frequently encounter PTSD, depression, and anxiety in these populations. We hope to enlist support of our behavioral health counselor and other health care providers.
So far, I have loved my time at Siloam. My project has allowed me direct volunteer time in the clinic, working with patients and learning about what the providers do, as well as coordinating and assisting on specific projects to benefit the clinic and community. I am excited to continue working and see what else this summer brings!
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