Cleveland Department of Public Health

Now one month into my Capstone experience at the Cleveland Department of Public Health, I am finding my niche in the public health culture. Though CDPH runs administratively out of a downtown Cleveland office, the ground work takes place primarily at two reproductive health clinics, one on each side of town. As I quickly found out, though, the clinics do far more than just treat for sexually transmitted infections and prescribe contraception. Working in these clinics, I have administered and read TB Mantoux tests, delivered pregnancy test results, given out more flu shots than I can count, and even immunized children. Though the signs on the door may say one thing, the nurses of CDPH wear many more hats than that of a nurse in a clinic. Especially now that flu season is getting into full swing, we drive all over the city of Cleveland setting up shop with flu vaccinations, both for those with insurance and without.

Working with CDPH has opened up many experiences for me. I have never worked in a clinic before, so it has been a very different setup bringing the patient back to treat them in "my space" versus treating a patient in the hospital, where the care is brought to them. The pace is also much different; each employee - from the clerk, the lab technician, the triage medical assistant, the nurse practitioner, and the discharge nurse - has their own role with their own set of tasks to complete. Each of us only works with one patient at a time, as compared to the average floor nurse who runs around between multiple different patients throughout a shift.

Even though I have only been at the reproductive health clinics for a few weeks, I find the work I do to be very fulfilling. The patients we are working with are in a very vulnerable state, and the treatment and counseling we give them is very personal information. We not only explain their diagnoses and medications, but also help them to cope with what their diagnosis means for them socially. Just a few powerful words to a patient can give them peace of mind or destroy their relationship with a significant other. I have shaken hands with grateful and smiling patients, and comforted those who are angry and distraught. I am helping people in their times of need, irregardless of their ability to pay for their services. I very much enjoy the feeling of giving back, and I look forward to even more time in the clinics in the coming weeks ahead.