In reflection of my time as a health coach in the Word on the Wards program at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, I was able to learn, in more detail, how to work with patients affected by diabetes, HIV and gain further experience in working in an acute setting. For me, while I enjoy learning in the classroom, I believe where I excel the most is out in the practical setting where I am working with patients.
These past few months, I have been learning about diabetes in my physiology course, but it was quite complicated in the classroom instruction and it did not quite make sense to me. I had not worked a patient (to my knowledge) who was HIV positive and I am thankful for the educational session on the management of HIV and AIDS. I also have very limited experiences in working in an acute setting, and I was appreciative the opportunity to gain more exposure to working in a hospital.
I was able to talk to one patient, and I saw that she was very street-wise. It seemed like she did not want to talk to us and she going to say statements we wanted to hear to get us out of her way. I had to use several strategies to get her to open up and be more candid with her answers. In terms of exercise, she did not enjoy exercise, but I figured out that she intrinsically enjoys bowling and there is a bowling alley a few blocks from her home. This could be used as a motivating factor in her to adhere to her home exercise program. I also notice that even though she says that she tries to eat healthily according to the instructions given to her at the hospital, she admits that she enjoys eating fried chicken, her boyfriend came and brought her a huge bag of Lay’s potato chips, she was drinking a large cup of dark soda during our visit. Though we did not have time to further explore her eating habits, I believe and noted that she might not be adhering to her nutrition program and this could be leading to the progression of her diabetes.
What I also appreciate is that this is the first time I was in a safety net hospital providing care to the poor, elderly, uninsured and immigrants. I lived in a suburban neighborhood and worked in an outpatient orthopedic clinic that primarily served suburban, middle-aged, professionals. This was the first time I worked with a patient who openly talked about being homeless, addiction to drugs and the struggles she went through to secure housing and to remain sober. This made me realize that though I have interacted with individuals of diverse backgrounds from living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I have only primarily worked with patients and clients who were able to afford my personal training rates and to receive physical therapy sessions. It made me realize that, no matter whatever a person’s demographic may be, we all have similar human bodies and we will all reach a point in our lives that our bodies will malfunction and that we will need professional healthcare services.