The Clinic is a community-based organization—have you heard that before? But the idea goes somewhat further than having the community guide the Clinic through elected representatives. It also means providing a way whereby community members can become a part of the health care team that is actually providing the services.
People often respond to this idea by saying “Well, but…I’m not a doctor (or nurse). I don’t know anything about medicine.” To which we reply that the Clinic has some training programs for those who want to learn more about health care, as well as some jobs that don’t require health training at all!
In April, we will be starting a new Advocate Training Program. An Advocate, in Clinic language, is the patient’s on-the-spot-helper, who has learned to tkae pulses, temperatures, blood pressures and medical histories; who knows what the Clinic can do, and what it can’t and where to go for what can’t be done at the Clinic; who can help the patient in the examining room; who knows something about the lab – and through all of this, who speaks on behalf of the patient to make sure that things go smoothly, that medical instructions are understandable, the reasons for lab work are clear, and that the choices that the patient has to make about his own health care are openly laid out. In short, the Advocate is part technician, part social service worker, and largely patient’s friend.
The Advocate Training Programs will take a month—two very full Saturdays, with the Saturdays in between devoted to review. The class titles sound dull —interviewing and communication skills, physiology, vital signs, clinic procedures, referral systems—but our last training group seemed to have a ball!
To qualify for the Training Program, a person must be 21 years old, sound of wind and limb (we will work you like horses), and be willing to work a short apprenticeship as Greeter Assistant. This will give you a taste of what it’s like on the front desk, teach you where the vital paperwork is hidden, and give you a chance to decide if you really want to devote the time to the training program.
Our non-medical jobs are the jobs that every organization, medical or not, has to do—moving things, writing things down, keeping track of things.
Right now, we need someone who heads downtown about three days a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) between 8:30 A.M. and noon. Some of our lab work goes to a downtown lab, and the specimens freeze in winter and broil in summer if left in their outside dropbox overnight. So, we need a mover-of-things, in this case, a labspecimen-mover.
Although the Clinic is most apparent as a medical service at night, there is a daytime staff who keeps the paperwork moving. One of the important pieces of paper is the volunteer record slip; we have over a hundred volunteers, and they move and change phone numbers just like other people. So, we could use a writer-down, in this case, a person who could devote four hours weekly to helping us keep records on our volunteers, typing cards and filing.
If you are interested in being a part of the Clinic’s community team, give us a call —721-5577. There is an orientation program on the first Saturday of each month at 9:45 A.M., and you are invited. The next date is March1 — but wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had many volunteers we had to do an extra one!
Originally published in The Paper, March 1975.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1975_03.pdf, printed page(s) 7; PDF page(s) 7.
