The experience of working at a Community Health Center usually starts on the streets before you enter the clinic. You drive by acres of rural farmlands that offer the sweet scent of manure as migrant workers pick their crops. You may pass many make-shift tents that serve as housing for the homeless population in an inner city. You may walk by street vendors making savory tacos that make your mouth water while small children walk hand in hand with their parents. As they see you, they may start screaming “Doctora, Doctora” and offer a sweet smile and a kind waive with their hands because they remember who you are. This scenic landscape before entering through the community health center’s doors begins to tell a story of what terrain your patient’s may have conquered before presenting themselves to you in your exam room.

“I usually have diarrhea from my mouth, but today it’s coming from my butt!” A quirky 5-year-old Latino American girl sits on my exam table and blurts out the phrase trying to stifle a laugh with her hands pulled immediately to her face. Her mother just rolls her eyes and smiles while her ‘abuela,’ sits back in her chair, eyes bulging, looking mortified. I laughed and ask, “Are you trying to be Sarah Silverman?” “Who’s that?”  she squeals as she proceeds to giggle and spew off several more jokes as I try and examine her. This family of 3 had to take several buses through an overcrowded urban city to show up at the clinic as a walk in. It also saved them a visit to the Emergency Room.

Community health centers are unique and special places. And yes, on many days they can resemble comedy shows which adds to the fun of working at them! One of their main purposes is to serve underprivileged communities, increasing access to timely care and to avoid costly Emergency Department (ED) admissions.

When you are working at a Community Health Center, it’s not just about the patient you are seeing, but about the whole family structure. It’s not uncommon for a mother, father, siblings, grandparents and even great grandparents to be present at a newborn’s first well check. This offers a great opportunity for assessment and teaching on so many levels as a practitioner.

Originally, community health centers were started in 1965. They were launched as a small demonstration program in conjunction with President Johnson’s ‘Office Of Economic Opportunity’ with a main focus on medically underserved communities. Today, clinics can be found in inner suburban cities servicing the homeless population to rural locations servicing migrant farmworkers.

Approximately 1400 community health centers provide healthcare to 28 million people throughout the United States. The main source of funding for these clinics is Medicaid along with other sources of funding which include Federal Community Health Center Program 330 Grants, Ryan White Funding, Title X Funding, and local county funds. The Affordable Care Act also offers additional funding.

Many clinics deliver a broad area of services which include mental health, dental, podiatry, maternal child health, pediatrics, HIV services, and Transgender services. They specialize in diagnosis and management of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, heart and lung disease, depression, cancer and HIV/AIDS. One of the main goals is to reduce mortality, health disparities and risk of low birth weight with the care they deliver. Services such as transportation, translation, case management, and health education are offered to ensure continuity of care.

Working with a lower socioeconomic population can offer challenges as well as a variety of learning opportunities which may include language barriers, poverty, and compliance to healthcare regimens. Community Health Clinics offer healthcare providers an opportunity to flex their creativity, employ a sense of humor and have an open mind in order to better meet a patient’s needs.

Community health clinics are great places for Physician’s, Nurse Practitioners, Nurses, Dentists, and Psychologists to practice. They offer an abundance of experience that can only be acquired at the rural clinic level and inner city. It’s a rich cultural exposure that can be incredibly humbling. You don’t necessarily have to be a comedian to work at one, but it doesn’t hurt.

Ersilia Pompilio RN, MSN, PNP

References

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1. Try to plan favorite holiday traditions so you don’t miss out

Whether you’re working on Thanksgiving or have planned shifts on Christmas, this doesn’t mean you have to miss out on your favorite holiday traditions. It’s possible to find the time to do them so that you can enjoy them with family and friends. Scheduling your family celebration the day before or after, or even earlier in the day can help prevent you from missing out. There are also many different forms of technological communication for events you can’t reschedule such as FaceTime or Skype. 

2. Get your flu shot

If you haven’t gotten your flu vaccine yet, you need to! With the exposure to patients with the virus, and the exhaustion that often comes with holiday stress you are more susceptible than ever. It’s even possible that the facility you’ll be working in will require it anyway.

3. Anticipate patient scenarios

The flu and other similar cases seem to show up more frequently around this time of year. A 2018 study done by the BMJ reported that the incidence of myocardial infarction tends to spike around Christmas time, noting that it was highest among the old and sick patients. It has also been noticed that there tends to be a higher number of patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) after the influx of big holiday meals, without patients appropriately adjusting their insulin.

4. Do your holiday shopping online

If your holiday tradition includes the exchanging of gifts, utilize all that the internet has to offer. You can save valuable time by skipping the crowded shopping malls. You can have gifts arranged to be delivered directly to your chosen recipient, and you can even have them pre-wrapped. All of this can help to ensure you can spend the most time with those you love.

5. Make sure to treat yourself

Be sure to get enough sleep and make time to relax and recharge your batteries so that you can be sure to make it through the hectic holiday season. If you are going to be away on a locum tenens assignment this holiday season, don’t be ashamed to make time to do things for you. You could do this by scheduling a massage, having a nice dinner, or adding holiday decorations to bring you some holiday cheer.

6. Try volunteering

Volunteering for a local cause can be a great way to spend your off-hours during an assignment. The holiday season is the busiest for local charities, and they are often in need of extra volunteers. You could help by serving holiday meals, handing out food at a food pantry or participating in a toy drive. All of these options can help you feel good during the holiday season.

7. Enjoy where you are

Wherever your locum tenens assignment might take you, you can enjoy fun holiday activities. If you’re in a state that gets a bunch of snow you could go ice skating, or catch a holiday parade or festival. Despite being away from home you can still enjoy fun holiday activities.

You have a chance to make a difference by taking an assignment during the holiday season. Patients you will be seeing over the holidays are typically very sick and being there for them can truly make an impact.

MedCare Staffing wants to take this time to wish you a very Happy Holiday season. We hope these holiday tips can help you during this time. Cheers to the New Year!

Who are we? MedCare Staffing is a small, veteran-owned, family-oriented team. We start every day with gratitude because we LOVE what we do! We are a team on a mission to make a positive difference in the lives of our clients and providers.

What we do: We place Physicians, Dentists & Advanced Practitioners in Locum Tenens, Contract Positions and Permanent Jobs

To contact MedCare Staffing call 888.474.3380 or visit or website by clicking here!

The post 7 Holiday Tips for Locum Tenens Over the Holidays appeared first on Medcare Staffing.

We all know germs are prevalent in airports and airplanes, but did you know that research suggests that changes in your sleep cycle (i.e., when you are jet-lagged) can throw off your circadian rhythm, which can affect your immune response. The stress of travel also has a significant effect on your immune health, as well. Here are some travel tips to help keep you on top of your game.

Before you go

To help prevent jet lag, you can pick up some melatonin at your local grocery store or pharmacy. The best way to use the melatonin is to take it at a time that you would typically go to bed but in your new time zone. Taking this step can help with getting you accustomed to a new sleep routine as quickly as possible.

Checking the Travelers’ Health section of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website for travel health warnings, vaccination recommendations, and preventive health tips can help prepare you for what might happen in your new location. 

On your way there

If you suffer from motion sickness, a natural and safe remedy is ginger. You can take ginger powder with water, ginger capsules, ginger root tea, or ginger chews. Ginger, unlike Dramamine, will not make you tired, making it is okay to take at any point.

Antibacterial wipes are a great product to carry with you so that everything you touch is clean. The best way to ensure that you stay clean is to wipe down everything you might contact on a plane, especially the tray table in front of your seat as it does not always get wiped down after every use.

When you arrive

Making sure that you do some sort of exercise after getting off the plane is a sure-fire way to ensure that you get the blood flowing again. Doing this will also help to knock out any sickness you might have caught on the journey.

Vitamin C is crucial to keeping your immune system in tip-top shape and can help ensure that you don’t feel terrible after a long journey. You can drink it in juices, a water-soluble powder or gummies and chews. 

Making sure you are taking care of your health is one way to ensure that your locum tenens assignment is as enjoyable as possible. When you feel healthy, you are able to help your patients do the same. 

Who are we?MedCare Staffing is a small, veteran-owned, family-oriented team. We start every day with gratitude because we LOVE what we do! We are a team on a mission to make a positive difference in the lives of our clients and providers.

What we do: We place Physicians, Advanced Practitioners, Dentists and Pharmacists in Locum Tenens, Contract Positions and Permanent Jobs

To contact MedCare Staffing call 888.474.3380 or visit or website by clicking here!

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