Wednesday February 17th: I started my new internship this Wednesday at Mercy Health Center and I absolutely love it. I am working as a hybrid medical assistant and Health Promotion intern which gives me a very unique ability to promote the health of Mercy patients. The social worker at Mercy spoke with me about my ideas and interests pertaining to Health Promotion, and together we determined that I would be the perfect person to begin implementing their Health Literacy evaluation program. This program aims to evaluate the level of health literacy among each Mercy patient so we can better tailor our medical advice to their understanding. Because I am also a Medical Assistant, I will be the one to implement the assessments while I am in the room with the patients getting their vitals. Today, I learned that there are many different approaches to promoting health and there is not a distinct line between medical care and health promotion. I believe our medical system would work more harmoniously if medical professionals were also health promotors so their focus could shift from treatment to prevention.
Competency: 1.1 Plan assessment process for health education/promotion. Today, I began the planning process for the health literacy assessment. The social worker and I have identified the existing and necessary resources to conduct the assessments (1.1.1) and found two evidence-based questionnaires we will use to score the patients on their health literacy. To implement this program, we just need paper copies of each assessment and adequate personnel to actually deliver the assessment (me). All of the patients at Mercy are considered priority population because they are all uninsured individuals that are living below the poverty line which puts them at an increased risk for having low health literacy.
Thursday, February 18th: This Thursday, I worked the night clinic shift and focused mainly on educating patients on health promoting activities while in the room taking their vitals. I took a special interest in educating a young woman on how to adjust her diet to better manage her diabetes, and she was very receptive. I am curious to see how her HbA1c levels change at her next visit if she implements the new diet changes. I learned today that sometimes people just have no idea where to start when attempting to change a behavior, and taking that extra time with them to explain and encourage them can make all the difference. After speaking with her, I could see her demeanor completely change from closed off and unsure to eager and confident, which meant I was doing my job! I also began the process of training other MA’s on how to deliver the health literacy assessment.
Competency 1.5: Examine the factors that influence the process by which people learn. I demonstrated this skill while sitting with the young lady with diabetes. I considered the reasons she would have failed to abide by the diet previously given to her, and I realized it was because she did not understand what was being asked from her. By explaining the foods with pictures, using my hand as a serving size guide, and giving her some sample meal ideas, it finally clicked for her. I learned that everyone learns in different ways, and sometimes it may take a few different approaches to find what is right for that individual.
Friday, February 19th: Friday, I collaborated with the other Health Promotion intern to begin designing new bulletin board displays for the exam rooms. We decided that we will use Friday the 26th as our day to revamp the boards since the clinic will not be taking patients that day, and we created a google doc to begin compiling our ideas. I am leaning towards doing one bulletin board to illustrate ways to swap healthier alternatives for various popular food items, ensuring that the food is representative of American and Hispanic food items. Today I learned how to build off other people’s ideas to create an even better end goal from before, and I know the boards will be twice as useful with both of our knowledge going towards it.
Assess capacity of partners and other stakeholders to meet program goals: By working with the health promotion intern and the social worker, we were able to determine an appropriate strategy to create the boards. The goal of the boards are to increase the health understanding of mercy patients, and through collaborative efforts, we determined the resources and time needed to create these.
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