Internship Blog Posts

Week 1 (1/11/2021-1/15/2021)

For my first week as an intern with Compassionate Care Hospice, I was able to meet with some of the other interns on Tuesday to establish and organize a plan for our roles and availability in the semester going forward. In our first meeting, I was able to learn more about what my specific responsibilities will be.

I was also able to work with one other intern on Friday to organize binders and forms given to new clients. Through this experience we were able to gain insight into the logistics and establishment of patient care plans. This also allowed us to gain insight on the importance of ethics and patient privacy by seeing the required forms for these topics.

I was able to learn a lot more about Compassionate Care Hospice and how the organization functions. One thing that this organization does that I believe is really special is plant a tree in honor of each patient they serve. We were able to see the form and information they give to clients about this while organizing new binders and forms. Another example of a form we saw was the Meet Your Care Team form that explains who is involved in patient care and how they can be contacted. I thought it was important that forms such as this one are given to clients so that they are fully aware of their care plan and who is involved. This form can be seen below.

MEET-YOUR-CARE-TEAMDownload

Competencies Met:

  • 1.1.2: Identify necessary and existing resources to conduct assessments
  • 1.1.5: Apply ethical principles to the assessment process
  • 1.3.1: Identify data collection instruments
  • 1.4.2: Identify and analyze factors that impact health
  • 1.7.2: Identify current needs, resources, and capacity
  • 1.7.3: Prioritize health education/promotion needs
  • 6.1.2: Identify valid information resources
  • 6.1.3: Evaluate resource materials for accuracy, relevance, and timeliness

On this day we also worked to organize supplies for the healthcare team and check expiration dates of supplies. This experience taught me the range of supplies needed to perform the best care for patients and reinforced the importance of overseeing the status and safety of products in order to ensure the safety of patients. This also helped office staff as the office will be relocating in the near future, so the staff is now able to move only safe and up-to-date supplies.

Competencies Met: 2.4.2, 6.1.2, 6.1.3,

  • 2.4.2: Identify the resources involved in the delivery of health education/ promotion
  • 6.1.3: Evaluate resource materials for accuracy, relevance, and timeliness

It was a great first week learning about Compassionate Care as well as learning more about what our roles as interns will be!

Week 2 (1/18/21-1/22/21)

In my second week with Compassionate Care Hospice, I was able to complete multiple tasks to assist office staff. Firstly, I had the opportunity on Tuesday to organize volunteer-patient visit and office note records from the previous year in order to help with the upcoming auditing process. Through this task, I was able to gain insight as to how volunteers are required to chart and document their visits with patients. This was very helpful as an intern as it helped me to better understand the organizational process that volunteers must follow as well as helped me to understand more about needs of the auditing process.

Competencies Met:

  • 2.4.3: Organize health education/promotion into a logical sequence
  • 4.4.3: Monitor and manage data collection
  • 7.2.3: Access resources (for example, financial, personnel, information, data) related to identified advocacy needs

Another task that I was able to assist with this week was editing the PowerPoint throughout the week that is used to train students volunteering through the student learning project (SLP) for a health promotion class at UGA. We were able to examine the Powerpoint and make changes in order to make the PowerPoint more cohesive and easily display the needed training information. This experience allowed us to use a creative outlet to display important information related to volunteer requirements, patient safety, ethics, etc. I enjoyed this task because I was able to creatively organize information in a meaningful way and learn more about the volunteer process at Compassionate Care

Competencies Met:

  • 1.6.3: Assess the effectiveness of existing health education/promotion programs and interventions
  • 3.2.1: Develop training objectives
  • 4.3.5: Adapt/modify existing instruments
  • 5.6.8: Implement strategies to enhance the professional development of staff members/volunteers
  • 5.6.11: Facilitate team development

Lastly, I was able to work with two other interns to organize/transition paperwork for on-site pickup on Friday. We were able to organize existing paperwork in preparation for the company’s transition to using electronic record keeping. This activity was very helpful for us interns as it provided us with more insight as to how Compassionate Care charts and documents patient files and the importance of doing so. It was very interesting to be able to learn more about documenting different diagnoses and understanding the organization process of record keeping and filing. In the room we were completing this task we were also able to see different charts and methods used by the nurses to document patient symptoms, diagnoses, and progress. Below, you can see all of the boxes we were able to mark as correctly organized as well as an example of a chart used by the nurses for their patient notes. Not only did this process help us interns to learn more about Compassionate Care and their patients, but it also helped staff members as they no longer had to take additional time to complete this task, and rather were able to spend more time with patients. I found this task very rewarding and insightful. We learned a lot of helpful information this week!

Competencies Met:

  • 1.1.2: Identify existing and necessary resources to conduct assessments
  • 2.4.3: Organize health education/promotion into a logical sequence
  • 4.4.3: Monitor and manage data collection
  • 7.2.3: Access resources (for example, financial, personnel, information, data) related to identified advocacy needs

Week 3 (1/25/21-1/29/21):

This week I was able to learn about patient visits. We were able to discuss a patient as a team and learn about the diagnosis process as well as view a nursing admission document for a patient. We were then able to learn about the protocol for patient visits and our responsibilities while visiting with patients. This was very helpful as an intern because it gave us exposure to the clinical side of Compassionate Care and helped us to further understand the role of the nurses and certified nursing assistants that work for Compassionate Care. For example, we were able to understand how the nurse practices health promotion by advocating for a patients needs and providing them with care. I also really enjoyed learning about the process of how patients are charted and how to properly record patient notes. We were also able to discuss the importance of respite care and how this care plays an important role in the hospice experience for patients and families. We were able to learn more about how we can provide this care.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.1.2: Identify existing and necessary resources to conduct assessments
  • 1.2.1: Identify sources of secondary data related to health
  • 1.4.2: Identify and analyze factors that impact health
  • 1.7.1: Synthesize assessment findings

We were also able to set up training for the SLP students this week. We finalized and reviewed the PowerPoint that will be used next week in the SLP training in order to teach students about Compassionate Care and their role as volunteers. This experience has been very helpful as it has allowed us the opportunity to teach others and advocate for Compassionate Care’s mission. I am greatly looking forward to virtually meeting all of the SLP students and working alongside them this semester!

Competencies Met:

  • 2.3.6: Identify delivery methods and settings to facilitate learning
  • 2.3.8: Adapt existing strategies/interventions as needed
  • 2.4.3: Organize health education/promotion into a logical sequence
  • 3.2.1: Develop training objectives
  • 4.3.5: Adapt/modify existing instruments
  • 5.6.8: Implement strategies to enhance the professional development of staff members/volunteers
  • 5.6.11: Facilitate team development
  • 6.2.2: Develop a plan for conducting training

Lastly, this week my team and I were able to set up a HIPPA approved chat through Microsoft Teams with all Athens employees. I enjoyed this task because it helps contribute to our ability to communicate and work together as a team. Additionally, we are really excited to have this chat because we are the first group of interns with Compassionate Care to have access to a Microsoft Teams chat. Setting up this chat was also very helpful for us because we were able to gain experience working with a new technology platform that will help us practice health promotion. Further, this gave us more familiarity with HIPPA and the importance of ethics within health promotion. We are also working on creating step-by-step guides that can be used by other intern groups and offices to create similar chat features!

Competencies Met:

  • 5.2.3: Apply ethical principles in managing technology resources
  • 5.5.10: Adhere to ethical principles of the profession
  • 5.6.8: Implement strategies to enhance the professional development of staff members/volunteers
  • 5.6.11: Facilitate team development
  • 5.6.14: Apply ethical principles when managing human resources

Week 4 (2/02/21-2/05/21):

This week I was able to partake in a couple different tasks related to my internship. Firstly, on Tuesday the intern team and I were able to successfully carry out our SLP training with the SLP students for Compassionate Care. We were able to Zoom with the students and present and teach training information/materials. After working on the PowerPoint for this task, it was so great to see it in use and be able to meet all the SLP students virtually! This training gave us interns the opportunity to teach students about Compassionate Care’s goals and missions while also practicing health promotion and explaining the students’ responsibilities. It was also helpful to have to adapt this training to a virtual setting as it gave us a chance to expand on skills related to technology use and fostering team development. I really enjoyed this project and look forward to working the SLP students more in the weeks to come!

Also related to the SLP training, I was responsible for sending a recap email to the students. In this email I went over information covered in our Zoom training sessions, explained the details of their first assignment, and provided them with each others’ school email addresses so that they could get in contact with their group members for projects and as well as to provide a means to create relationships among peers.

Below is an example of one of the slides included in our Training PowerPoint that was taught to SLP students.

Competencies Met:

  • 3.2.3: Identify training needs of individuals involved in implementation
  • 3.2.5: Implement training
  • 5.4.1: Demonstrate how programs align with organizational structure, mission, and goals
  • 5.5.1: Facilitate efforts to achieve organizational mission
  • 5.6.11: Facilitate team development
  • 6.2.4: Implement planned training

Another opportunity we had this week was the chance to observe a IDG meeting on Wednesday with Compassionate Care staff from the Athens office. These meetings take place each week in order for the staff to update one another on cases they are assigned and in order to advocate for patient needs and/or changes. The doctor, nurses, social worker, and other staff communicate in these meetings to ensure effective team work and collaboration, which in return, allows for Compassionate Care to provide the best care possible to patients and practice effective health promotion. Being able to observe this meeting was so interesting to me and very helpful as both an intern and future healthcare worker. It was very informative to hear all the medical terminology being used as well as learn how different diagnoses are discussed. It was also helpful to hear more about staff members’ experiences, some of the challenges they face, and strategies they use to advocate for patients. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity!

Competencies Met:

  • 5.3.2: Facilitate discussions with partners and other stakeholders regarding program resource needs
  • 2.3.8: Adapt existing strategies/interventions as needed
  • 2.3.6: Identify delivery methods and settings to facilitate learning
  • 2.1.3: Facilitate collaborative efforts among priority populations, partners, and other stakeholder
  • 2.5.1: Identify and analyze factors that foster or hinder implementation

I also had the opportunity this week to learn how to perform other administrative task needs. The intern team and I were able to learn how to perform background checks for volunteers. This opportunity taught us more about the behind the scenes requirements related to ethics and proper record keeping. I was also able to work with another intern to match patient identification numbers per Medicare regulations in patient notes. This assignment was very helpful as well as it also exposed us to the proper record keeping process and importance of adhering to regulations. Through this task I was also able to learn more about the patients Compassionate Care works with.

Competencies Met:

  • 5.2.3: Apply ethical principles in managing technology resources
  • 5.5.10: Adhere to ethical principles of the profession
  • 2.4.3: Organize health education/promotion into a logical sequence
  • 4.4.3: Monitor and manage data collection
  • 7.2.3: Access resources (for example, financial, personnel, information, data) related to identified advocacy needs

Week 5 (2/8/21-2/12/21):

This week we primarily focused on creating Valentine’s deliveries to be brought to patients. On Monday, I was able to work with another intern and one of our SLP students to create flower bouquets from flowers that Kroger donated that would be delivered to patients. This task was really rewarding because we had the opportunity to help bring positivity to the clients. Something I learned through creating the training materials for our SLP students is that many hospice patients struggle with feeling safe, and it meant a lot to me that we were able to contribute in a project to bring feelings of positivity and safety to the patients. This was also a good reminder of how efforts can be made towards improving psychosocial aspects of public health programs. This task allowed us to cater towards patients emotional needs which contributes to providing overall comprehensive care in return.

On Tuesday I worked along side another intern to compile patient addresses in order to make the flower deliveries. This task allowed us to have further exposure to the HCHB system that Compassionate Care Hospice uses for patient record keeping. I enjoyed getting to learn more of how to navigate this system and learning more skills related to technology use.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.4.2: Identify and analyze factors that impact health
  • 1.5.3: Identify and analyze factors that influence attitudes and beliefs
  • 2.4.2: Identify the resources involved in the delivery of health education/promotion
  • 2.4.6: Select methods and/or channels for reaching priority populations
  • 3.1.4: Arrange for needed services to implement plan
  • 4.4.4: Use available technology to collect, monitor and manage data
  • 5.3.2: Facilitate discussions with partners and other stakeholders regarding program resource needs

On Friday I worked remotely on two other projects. First, I created a survey to be administered to staff at Compassionate Care related to how they could best be shown recognition and rewarded. I enjoyed getting to create this survey because I appreciate how Compassionate Care not only prioritizes their patients, but their employees as well. I think workplace health promotion is really important towards fostering an efficient, positive, collaborative, and effective team and I am glad I can contribute to helping find ways employees can be recognized. Below is an example of what this survey looks like.

Competencies Met:

  • 5.5.1: Facilitate efforts to achieve organizational mission
  • 5.5.8: Conduct program quality assurance/process improvement
  • 5.6.1: Assess staffing needs
  • 5.6.7: Develop strategies to enhance staff member and volunteer professional development
  • 5.6.11: Facilitate team development

I also worked on creating a document that complies information on the We Honor Veterans program. This is a program that Compassionate Care is interested in enrolling in in order to better serve the Athens community. The We Honor Veterans program works with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the Department of Veteran Affairs to create a program that focuses on the unique needs of Veterans and is focused on compassionate listening and grateful acknowledgment. I created a document with more information on this program, a how-to guide of how hospice organizations such as Compassionate Care can enroll, and information on the Athens VA Center.

I was able to learn more this week about how Compassionate Care interacts with our community and how they hope to work with the community more through the We Honor Veterans Program.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.6.1: Determine the extent of available health education/promotion programs and intervention
  • 1.6.3: Assess the effectiveness of existing health education/promotion programs and interventions
  • 1.7.4: Develop recommendations for health education/promotion based on assessment findings
  • 1.7.5: Report assessment findings

Week 6 (2/15/21-2/19/21):

This week was a lighter week for us. Throughout the week we worked on continuing research for the We Honor Veterans Program. Through conducting further research we are able to learn about how hospice works in collaboration with veterans and VA programs. Additionally, we are able to learn about a specific group within our target population that is important to us and important to serve. This research is being done to prepare for our community presentation at the Athens VA Center once it is allowed due to Covid-19 restrictions.

I enjoy working on this project because it allows us to help plan and get familiar with the implementation process of a specific health promotion program. It has also been really helpful to learn how hospice can cater towards specified audiences and create hospice practices specific to their needs. I am looking forward to helping more with preparing for our presentation and incorporating the We Honor Veterans program into Compassionate Care!

Competencies Met:

  • 1.6.1: Determine the extent of available health education/promotion programs and intervention
  • 1.6.3: Assess the effectiveness of existing health education/promotion programs and interventions
  • 1.7.4: Develop recommendations for health education/promotion based on assessment findings
  • 1.7.5: Report assessment findings

Week 7 (2/22/21-2/26/21):

This week was a busy week! On Tuesday I had the opportunity to work with two other interns to set up our new Tuck-In Call protocol. Tuck-in calls are phone calls that are made to patients and their families on Thursdays to determine if they have any needs going into the weekend such as needed supplies or visits from staff. Below you can see more of the logistics for how these calls works and questions that are asked. Two interns and I organized our methods for how we will each reach certain patients and document our calls. We set up a new Excel spreadsheet by using existing patient data. On this day we also got trained by our supervisor, Cris on how to answer phones in the office. In the coming weeks us interns will be in the office to help answer phones and direct calls for staff.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.6.1: Determine the extent of available health education/promotion programs and intervention
  • 1.6.3: Assess the effectiveness of existing health education/promotion programs and interventions
  • 1.7.4: Develop recommendations for health education/promotion based on assessment findings
  • 5.2.3: Apply ethical principles in managing technology resources
  • 5.5.10: Adhere to ethical principles of the profession
  • 2.4.3: Organize health education/promotion into a logical sequence
  • 4.4.3: Monitor and manage data collection
  • 5.5.1: Facilitate efforts to achieve organizational mission
  • 5.6.1: Facilitate team development
  • 7.2.3: Access resources (for example, financial, personnel, information, data) related to identified advocacy needs

On Wednesday we were able to attend our weekly IDG meetings with Athens staff members. I really enjoy attending these meetings because they allow us to learn about patients while we are not able to make patient visits and it gives us a really great opportunity to learn about how Compassionate Care organizes and carries our their health promotion practices. We are also able to gain insight on how Compassionate Care works as a team and collaborates on patient care. Additionally, as someone who is pursuing a career in the healthcare field, it has been very helpful to get exposure to more medical terminology and language discussed with patient diagnoses and needs.

Competencies Met:

  • 5.3.2: Facilitate discussions with partners and other stakeholders regarding program resource needs
  • 2.3.8: Adapt existing strategies/interventions as needed
  • 2.3.6: Identify delivery methods and settings to facilitate learning
  • 2.1.3: Facilitate collaborative efforts among priority populations, partners, and other stakeholder
  • 2.5.1: Identify and analyze factors that foster or hinder implementation

On Thursday we had the opportunity to train another intern on how to answer phones and collect messages as we had learned on Tuesday. We also finished creating our tuck-in call organization/process. From there, we were able to make calls to our patients and speak with them directly. I really enjoyed making these calls and getting to have patient interaction over the phone! I also learned a lot about common patient needs.

Competencies Met:

  • 2.4.2: Identify the resources involved in the delivery of health education/promotion
  • 2.4.6: Select methods and/or channels for reaching priority populations
  • 3.1.4: Arrange for needed services to implement plan
  • 3.2.3: Identify training needs of individuals involved in implementation
  • 3.2.5: Implement training
  • 4.4.4: Use available technology to collect, monitor and manage data
  • 5.3.2: Facilitate discussions with partners and other stakeholders regarding program resource needs

On Friday we were able to all meet as a team and discuss upcoming work and tasks. We also collaborated as interns on creating an Excel spreadsheet with patient demographics and information that was needed by a staff member. This was a helpful task because we had to read through patient charts and organize our spreadsheet by terminology used in the charts.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.1.2: Identify existing and necessary resources to conduct assessments
  • 1.2.1: Identify sources of secondary data related to health
  • 1.4.2: Identify and analyze factors that impact health
  • 1.7.1: Synthesize assessment findings
  • 4.4.4: Use available technology to collect, monitor and manage data

Week 8 (3/1/21-3/5/21):

This week I got to partake in a number of different activities!

On Monday I was able to go into our office to answer phones for the office staff. I was able to communicate with staff over our Microsoft Teams app in order to direct any messages or needs of clients. I really enjoyed answering the phones and getting to communicate more with staff and patients as well! This also gave me insight to the day-to-day needs and tasks that Compassionate Care completes in order to serve their patients. Additionally, while I was at the office answering phone calls, I also worked on a non-admission spreadsheet that details individuals contacted by Compassionate Care who did not end up receiving services. We organized the spreadsheet by patient, location of patient, date, and reason for non-admission. This spreadsheet we will be used by corporate staff for evaluation purposes. This information is important because it allows staff to analyze and determine reasons why patients reject or are rejected from services. Analyzing this data could give staff information about gaps and different disparities that could be addressed in order to expand their care services and make them more effective. It was very interesting to create this spreadsheet and see the different non-admit reasons such as not meeting hospice qualifications, choosing a different home healthcare agency, etc.. This data will allow staff to determine reasons patients are rejected and therefore create strategies to address these reasons.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.7.2: Identify current needs, resources, and capacity
  • 4.4.3: Monitor and manage data collection
  • 4.4.4: Use available technology to collect, monitor and manage data
  • 4.4.5: Comply with laws and regulations when collecting, storing, and protecting participant data
  • 4.5.5: Use technology to analyze data
  • 5.6.11 Facilitate team development
  • 6.1.1: Assess needs for health-related information
  • 7.1.7: Deliver messages using media and communication strategies

On Tuesday two other interns and myself were able to meet our supervisor at our Madison office. While here, we went to the store to purchase cards that can be given out to patients and filled out cards to be ready for delivery. This was a fun activity to do as it allowed us to be creative but also contribute to an activity that is aimed at addressing patients emotional and psychosocial needs. These cards will be given out to brighten patients’ days and remind them of their care staff and support system. Also while at the office, we worked to enter our ours into our information/data system, Home Care Home Base. This gave us experience navigating through this system and expanding our technological skills.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.4.2: Identify and analyze factors that impact health
  • 7.1.7: Deliver messages using media and communication strategies
  • 4.4.4: Use available technology to collect, monitor and manage data
  • 5.2.2: Use technology to collect, store and retrieve program management data

Also on Tuesday I created a digital poster/graphic to be distributed to Compassionate Care staff across multiple offices. This graphic was for the Spirit of Amedisys March Celebration which aligns with Dr. Seuss month. This graphic was designed to communicate the message that Amedisys offices would be celebrating Dr. Seuss month and that each office can choose how they celebrate differently. Additionally, the graphic relays that the Amedisys S.P.I.R.I.T. Committee and Volunteer Coordinators will be overseeing this celebration in order to increase each care centers’ survey participation to over 85%. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to create this graphic as it allowed me to use a creative platform to relay a public health message. This activity also gave me insight towards the effort Compassionate Care makes to facilitate team development and collaboration of staff. Below you can find the graphic I created!

Competencies Met:

  • 7.1.7: Deliver messages using media and communication strategies
  • 7.1.3: Tailor messages for intended audience
  • 7.1.6: Assess and select methods and technologies used to deliver messages
  • 5.6.11: Facilitate team development

On Wednesday I was able to go to the office again to field phone calls and messages as well as continue working on our non-admit spreadsheets. Additionally, I was able to attend our weekly IDG staff meeting. I look forward to attending these meetings and hearing about how patients are doing and different needs that have arisen. It is also really interesting to see how the team works together to address patient needs and deliver services. I am able to better follow along each week as I expand my knowledge on medical terms and get familiar with patients through these meetings!

Competencies Met:

  • 1.7.2: Identify current needs, resources, and capacity
  • 4.4.3: Monitor and manage data collection
  • 4.4.4: Use available technology to collect, monitor and manage data
  • 4.4.5: Comply with laws and regulations when collecting, storing, and protecting participant data
  • 4.5.5: Use technology to analyze data
  • 5.6.11 Facilitate team development
  • 6.1.1: Assess needs for health-related information
  • 7.1.7: Deliver messages using media and communication strategies
  • 5.3.2: Facilitate discussions with partners and other stakeholders regarding program resource needs
  • 2.3.8: Adapt existing strategies/interventions as needed
  • 2.3.6: Identify delivery methods and settings to facilitate learning
  • 2.1.3: Facilitate collaborative efforts among priority populations, partners, and other stakeholder
  • 2.5.1: Identify and analyze factors that foster or hinder implementation

On Thursday I met with two other interns to perform our weekly tuck-in calls with patients and organize my spreadsheets for tuck-in calls with updated patient needs that I then sent to my supervisor to be communicated with the rest of staff. I really enjoy having the opportunity to make these calls as it allows me to speak with patients directly and help staff by determining patient needs. It is also helpful to partake in the record keeping process and practice ethical principles related to organizing patient notes and documentation.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.6.3: Assess the effectiveness of existing health education/promotion programs and interventions
  • 1.7.4: Develop recommendations for health education/promotion based on assessment findings
  • 5.2.3: Apply ethical principles in managing technology resources
  • 5.5.10: Adhere to ethical principles of the profession
  • 2.4.3: Organize health education/promotion into a logical sequence
  • 4.4.3: Monitor and manage data collection
  • 5.5.1: Facilitate efforts to achieve organizational mission
  • 5.6.1: Facilitate team development
  • 7.2.3: Access resources (for example, financial, personnel, information, data) related to identified advocacy needs

Week 9 (3/8/21-3/12/21):

This was a very exciting week as I got to go along on our first patient visits! On Monday I was able to go with our supervisor and one other intern to visit a patient. This visit was very brief and was meant to introduce ourselves and explain what responsibilities we can have while we are volunteering with patients. We were able to meet the family and talk with them about their needs. The social worker and nurse were also at the home during our visit so it was very interesting and helpful to see how they perform their roles with a patient and give further insight as to how Compassionate Care uses teamwork and collaboration to deliver health promotion.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.4.1: Identify and analyze factors that influence health behaviors
  • 1.4.2: Identify and analyze factors that impact health
  • 1.6.5: Analyze the capacity for providing necessary health education/promotion
  • 2.1.3: Facilitate collaborative efforts among priority populations, partners, and other stakeholders
  • 2.1.4: Elicit input about the plan

On Wednesday, us interns attended the weekly IDG team meeting with Athens staff to learn more about how our patients are doing. Later that day, myself and another intern were able to join our supervisor again on another patient visit with a different family. I greatly enjoyed these visits as they give us a chance to interact with patients safely and in-person.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.4.1: Identify and analyze factors that influence health behaviors
  • 1.4.2: Identify and analyze factors that impact health
  • 1.6.5: Analyze the capacity for providing necessary health education/promotion
  • 2.1.3: Facilitate collaborative efforts among priority populations, partners, and other stakeholders
  • 2.1.4: Elicit input about the plan
  • 5.3.2: Facilitate discussions with partners and other stakeholders regarding program resource needs
  • 2.3.8: Adapt existing strategies/interventions as needed
  • 2.3.6: Identify delivery methods and settings to facilitate learning
  • 2.1.3: Facilitate collaborative efforts among priority populations, partners, and other stakeholder
  • 2.5.1: Identify and analyze factors that foster or hinder implementation

On Thursday, I was able to go into our office to organize materials for our tuck-in call process and make my tuck-in calls to patients. I look forward to this because it allows for communication with patients I have spoken with previously. It has been helpful to get insight on common needs of patients and how to communicate these needs with office staff.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.6.3: Assess the effectiveness of existing health education/promotion programs and interventions
  • 1.7.4: Develop recommendations for health education/promotion based on assessment findings
  • 5.2.3: Apply ethical principles in managing technology resources
  • 5.5.10: Adhere to ethical principles of the profession
  • 2.4.3: Organize health education/promotion into a logical sequence
  • 4.4.3: Monitor and manage data collection
  • 5.5.1: Facilitate efforts to achieve organizational mission
  • 5.6.1: Facilitate team development
  • 7.2.3: Access resources (for example, financial, personnel, information, data) related to identified advocacy needs

Week 10 (3/15/21-3/19/21):

On Tuesday of this week I was able to go into our office to help staff answer phones and organize/distribute messages. I enjoy helping with this as it gives us a chance to communicate with patients, their families, and other staff involved with patient care. This gives us a lot of insight in regard to common patient needs and communication amongst staff. While in the office, I also assisted with organizing binders with patient and administrative notes for auditing purposes. We organized by patient and by month and separated patient notes from administrative.

Competencies Met:

  • 2.4.2: Identify the resources involved in the delivery of health education/promotion
  • 2.4.6: Select methods and/or channels for reaching priority populations
  • 3.1.4: Arrange for needed services to implement plan
  • 4.4.4: Use available technology to collect, monitor and manage data
  • 5.3.2: Facilitate discussions with partners and other stakeholders regarding program resource needs

On Wednesday I was able to go to the office again to help answer phones. We were also able to attend our weekly IDG meeting with office staff again to discuss patients and their needs.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.7.2: Identify current needs, resources, and capacity
  • 4.4.3: Monitor and manage data collection
  • 4.4.4: Use available technology to collect, monitor and manage data
  • 4.4.5: Comply with laws and regulations when collecting, storing, and protecting participant data
  • 4.5.5: Use technology to analyze data
  • 5.6.11 Facilitate team development
  • 6.1.1: Assess needs for health-related information
  • 7.1.7: Deliver messages using media and communication strategies
  • 5.3.2: Facilitate discussions with partners and other stakeholders regarding program resource needs
  • 2.3.8: Adapt existing strategies/interventions as needed
  • 2.3.6: Identify delivery methods and settings to facilitate learning
  • 2.1.3: Facilitate collaborative efforts among priority populations, partners, and other stakeholder
  • 2.5.1: Identify and analyze factors that foster or hinder implementation

On Thursday, I was able to make my weekly tuck-in calls with patients and speak with them about any of their current needs and electronically organize my notes from the calls. It is so great calling the same people each week as they are starting to recognize my calls and make further discussion.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.6.3: Assess the effectiveness of existing health education/promotion programs and interventions
  • 1.7.4: Develop recommendations for health education/promotion based on assessment findings
  • 5.2.3: Apply ethical principles in managing technology resources
  • 5.5.10: Adhere to ethical principles of the profession
  • 2.4.3: Organize health education/promotion into a logical sequence
  • 4.4.3: Monitor and manage data collection
  • 5.5.1: Facilitate efforts to achieve organizational mission
  • 5.6.1: Facilitate team development
  • 7.2.3: Access resources (for example, financial, personnel, information, data) related to identified advocacy needs

Week 11 (3/22/21-3/26/21):


Hello! We had another great week! On Tuesday we had the opportunity to go on another patient to meet a new patient for the first time. Our supervisor joined me and another intern on this visit and while at the patient’s home we introduced ourselves and explained the volunteer process/ what we can do while in the home. We chatted with the patient and caregiver and had a lovely visit with them!

I have been greatly enjoying making patient visits and having the opportunity to safely meet patients in person!

Competencies Met:

  • 1.4.1: Identify and analyze factors that influence health behaviors
  • 1.4.2: Identify and analyze factors that impact health
  • 1.6.5: Analyze the capacity for providing necessary health education/promotion
  • 2.1.3: Facilitate collaborative efforts among priority populations, partners, and other stakeholders
  • 2.1.4: Elicit input about the plan

On Thursday I joined other interns in the office for our weekly tuck-in calls. This week, I had the chance to help train another intern on how to make the tuck-in calls and our organizational process. We trained this intern as they will be making weekly calls to our new patients! Tuck-in calls went well this week and it is always great to be able to talk with patients!

Competencies Met:

  • 3.2.1: Develop training objectives
  • 3.2.3: Identify training needs of individuals involved in implementation
  • 3.2.5: Implement training
  • 4.3.5: Adapt/modify existing instruments
  • 5.6.8: Implement strategies to enhance the professional development of staff members/volunteers
  • 5.6.11: Facilitate team development

On Friday I was able to go to the office again and answer phones on behalf of office staff. I enjoy helping staff answer phones because it gives us a chance to talk with patients, caregivers, medical personell, etc and therefore further understand the complexity of all involved parties with Compassionate Care in order to provide health promotion!

Competencies Met:

  • 2.4.2: Identify the resources involved in the delivery of health education/promotion
  • 2.4.6: Select methods and/or channels for reaching priority populations
  • 3.1.4: Arrange for needed services to implement plan
  • 4.4.4: Use available technology to collect, monitor and manage data
  • 5.3.2: Facilitate discussions with partners and other stakeholders regarding program resource needs

Week 12: (3/29/21-4/2/21)

This week we had another great week! On Wednesday I was able to accompany our supervisor and another intern on a new patient visit. This visit went great and we had an amazing time meeting the patient and her husband! They were very open about the diagnosis and their experiences, and we learned a lot through talking with them.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.4.1: Identify and analyze factors that influence health behaviors
  • 1.4.2: Identify and analyze factors that impact health
  • 1.6.5: Analyze the capacity for providing necessary health education/promotion
  • 2.1.3: Facilitate collaborative efforts among priority populations, partners, and other stakeholders
  • 2.1.4: Elicit input about the plan

On Thursday I met the other interns in the office and we continued with our weekly tuck-in calls and organization/record keeping. We also got paperwork sorted out for the end of the month and turned in needed paperwork to our supervisor.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.6.3: Assess the effectiveness of existing health education/promotion programs and interventions
  • 1.7.4: Develop recommendations for health education/promotion based on assessment findings
  • 5.2.3: Apply ethical principles in managing technology resources
  • 5.5.10: Adhere to ethical principles of the profession
  • 2.4.3: Organize health education/promotion into a logical sequence
  • 4.4.3: Monitor and manage data collection
  • 5.5.1: Facilitate efforts to achieve organizational mission
  • 5.6.1: Facilitate team development
  • 7.2.3: Access resources (for example, financial, personnel, information, data) related to identified advocacy needs

Overall, this was another awesome week of learning and interacting with patients! I learned more about patient interactions and protocols as well as further tools to help implement health promotion used in our tuck-in call processes.

Week 13 (4/5/21-4/9/21):


Hello! This week on Wednesday I attended our weekly IDG meeting with other interns and staff. I enjoy attending these meetings especially as the weeks have passed as I am more familiar with patient cases. I also enjoy hearing about new patients and getting familiar with their cases as well. I also am so glad we have the opportunity to join these meetings as it gives us interns insight and knowledge on how to deliver health promotion and the delivery processes.

Competencies Met:

  • 4.4.4: Use available technology to collect, monitor and manage data
  • 4.4.5: Comply with laws and regulations when collecting, storing, and protecting participant data
  • 4.5.5: Use technology to analyze data
  • 5.6.11 Facilitate team development

On Thursday I was able to go to our office to carry out our weekly tuck-in calls. I was then able to update my records and communicate patient needs with staff.

  • 5.5.10: Adhere to ethical principles of the profession
  • 2.4.3: Organize health education/promotion into a logical sequence
  • 4.4.3: Monitor and manage data collection
  • 5.5.1: Facilitate efforts to achieve organizational mission
  • 5.6.1: Facilitate team development
  • 7.2.3: Access resources (for example, financial, personnel, information, data) related to identified advocacy needs

On Friday I was able to go to the office again to help answer phones on behalf of office staff. I really enjoy getting to communicate with different staff members. This allows us to learn more about each staff members’ responsibilities while also learning about patient’s cases.

  • 2.4.2: Identify the resources involved in the delivery of health education/promotion
  • 2.4.6: Select methods and/or channels for reaching priority populations
  • 3.1.4: Arrange for needed services to implement plan
  • 4.4.4: Use available technology to collect, monitor and manage data
  • 5.3.2: Facilitate discussions with partners and other stakeholders regarding program resource needs

This was another great week! I learned more about staff roles and the way our staff collaborates to deliver health promotion to patients.

Week 14 (4/12/21-4/16/21):

Hello! We had another fantastic week! On Wednesday I was able to go into the office to help with answering phones and administrative work. While here, another intern and I worked to organize our hour logs as we are approaching the end of the semester. Additionally, we were able to attend our weekly IDG meeting with office staff as well. It has been so great to be able to attend these meetings as it has really broadened my knowledge of healthcare terms which is important for providing health promotion, and to my future career as well. I have learned so much through these meetings from medical terminology to different patient needs and how Compassionate Care’s charting system works.

  • 4.4.4: Use available technology to collect, monitor and manage data
  • 4.4.5: Comply with laws and regulations when collecting, storing, and protecting participant data
  • 4.5.5: Use technology to analyze data
  • 5.6.11 Facilitate team development

On Thursday we were able to work remotely in order to perform our weekly tuck-in calls. I look forward to this each week as it gives me a chance to speak with the same patients and learn more about them! It has also been helpful to learn more about the charting/record keeping protocol while providing health promotion.

  • 5.5.10: Adhere to ethical principles of the profession
  • 2.4.3: Organize health education/promotion into a logical sequence
  • 4.4.3: Monitor and manage data collection
  • 5.5.1: Facilitate efforts to achieve organizational mission
  • 5.6.1: Facilitate team development
  • 7.2.3: Access resources (for example, financial, personnel, information, data) related to identified advocacy needs

Overall it was another great week and we were able to help with tasks that help the office staff and improve our knowledge related to providing health promotion! I enjoy learning more each week about how to best serve patients in the hospice setting and provide them with the care they need and deserve.

Week 15 (4/19/21-4/23/21):

We had a great, busy week!

On Monday I was able to go into the office to answer phones on behalf of office staff and field messages using our Microsoft Teams app. Additionally, I was able to go with two other interns later in the day to obtain supplies necessary to make care baskets for Compassionate Care’s CNA’s. As a CNA myself, I was very happy to assist with this task and help give back to the CNA’s who work with Compassionate Care. We are making them care baskets as a way of showing our appreciation for them and the work they do as they provide a lot of the hands-on, day-to-day care for patients.

Competencies Met:

  • 4.4.4: Use available technology to collect, monitor and manage data
  • 4.4.5: Comply with laws and regulations when collecting, storing, and protecting participant data
  • 5.5.1: Facilitate efforts to achieve organizational mission
  • 5.6.1: Facilitate team development

On Wednesday I was able to work in the office again to field calls as well as attend our IDG meetings. As we approach the end of the semester I reflected on my time getting to sit-in on IDG meetings and all I have learned through these meetings. I have learned so much about medical terminology, advocating for patients, communicating as a team to provide care, and all of the ins-and-outs of how to provide comprehensive care for patients and the families. It has also been such a great opportunity to become familiar with patients and their care plans as the semester has gone on.

Competencies Met:

  • 1.4.1: Identify and analyze factors that influence health behaviors
  • 1.4.2: Identify and analyze factors that impact health
  • 1.6.5: Analyze the capacity for providing necessary health education/promotion
  • 2.1.3: Facilitate collaborative efforts among priority populations, partners, and other stakeholders
  • 2.1.4: Elicit input about the plan

On Thursday we met as a team in the office to execute our weekly tuck-in calls and organize patient needs that arose from our calls with patients. We also spent time discussing our plan for this week. We will be visiting an assisted living facility and I am looking forward to getting to safely meet more patients!

Competencies Met:

  • 5.5.10: Adhere to ethical principles of the profession
  • 2.4.3: Organize health education/promotion into a logical sequence
  • 4.4.3: Monitor and manage data collection
  • 5.5.1: Facilitate efforts to achieve organizational mission
  • 5.6.1: Facilitate team development
  • 7.2.3: Access resources (for example, financial, personnel, information, data) related to identified advocacy needs

Overall we had another week full of learning and helping to provide patients with the best care possible! I also learned more about the efforts Compassionate Care makes to recognize and show appreciation for their staff, which is very important in order to achieve effective collaboration to provide health promotion. Below is a photo of my team and I. I have been so lucky to work with them this semester!

Week 16 (4/26/21-4/30/21):

We had a great last day interning with Compassionate Care! Unfortunately we were not able to visit an assisted living facility as we had planned to, but that was a decision made with safety in mind of both patients and interns!

Myself and two other interns did have the exciting opportunity to train the new summer interns on our tuck-in call protocols. We were able to teach them how to carry out these phone calls with patients, where to find needed information, how to run patient reports that show all of the patients to be called, as well as how to correctly document their calls to meet ethical and company standards. Additionally, these interns were able to sit-in on our calls with patients to get first-hand experience with how these calls typically go each week. I am so excited for them as I know they will greatly enjoy the chance to communicate with patients and learn more about patient needs just as I have!

Competencies Met:

  • 5.5.10: Adhere to ethical principles of the profession
  • 4.4.3: Monitor and manage data collection
  • 3.2.3: Identify training needs of individuals involved in implementation
  • 3.2.5: Implement training
  • 3.2.6: Provide support and technical assistance to those implementing the plan
  • 5.5.1: Facilitate efforts to achieve organizational mission
  • 5.6.1: Facilitate team development
  • 7.2.3: Access resources (for example, financial, personnel, information, data) related to identified advocacy needs

Reflecting on my last day and my intern experience as a whole, I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with my supervisor and Compassionate Care this semester. I have learned so much about advocating for patients, how to provide patients with all needs, how to best communicate as a team as well as with patients and their families, and how to deliver health promotion in an effective, positive, and safe manner. I have also learned how to work with different technological platforms, making me more well-rounded in my technology related skills as a whole. Additionally, I believe that my time gaining experience in the hospice setting will greatly benefit me as I go on towards nursing school as I now have much more clinical and healthcare related knowledge as well as experience with the emotional and psycho-social elements of hospice care. My experience has taught me all of this and so much more and I know that I will be a better future healthcare provider because of my my time with Compassionate Care!