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Sarah Pace

Georgia College & State University

Reflection Paper

18 July 2019
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My name is Sarah Pace, and I am from Fayetteville, Georgia. I will be graduating from

Georgia College & State University upon completing my internship in August of 2019. When the

time came to begin the search for an internship, I felt led to a position in Patient Relations.

Throughout my college career, I found the combination of both social and clinical healthcare to

be the most interesting aspect of Public Health. In turn, I was pointed in the direction of the

Patient Relations department at Coliseum Medical Centers in Macon, Georgia. Coliseum Health

Systems consists of three separate entities: Coliseum Medical Centers, Coliseum Northside

Hospital, and Coliseum Center for Behavioral Health. The mission statement for Coliseum is

“Above all else we are committed to the care and improvement of human life”. Coliseum is the

friendliest hospital that I have ever spent time in. Each employee makes an effort to treat others

respectfully, no matter the scenario. At Coliseum the work environment is welcoming and

comfortable, which makes employees more effective. My time at Coliseum has demonstrated to

me that patients and families feel more at ease when they are cared for by a staff that treats them

like people rather than a case. The Patient Relations department is based out of Coliseum

Medical Centers. Chaplaincy services is also a branch under the Patient Relations department.

Both of these specialties play a critical role in patient and family satisfaction. As a Patient

Relations intern, I work in both the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the Cardiovascular Intensive

Care Unit (CVICU). However, majority of the patients are often sedated, and Patient Relations

interns spend more time interacting with the families rather than the patients alone. The priority

population for this organization is the patients that are admitted to the ICU and the CVICU.

Macon is a low socioeconomic county in the state of Georgia. Thus, many citizens do not

demonstrate optimal health. The individuals that live in the Macon area oftentimes face many of

the same risk factors of poor health outcomes. The common risk factors that we discovered
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include alcohol and drug abuse, poor life choices, and sedentary lifestyles. As the interns began

to comprehend the medical histories of those that are admitted to the ICU and CVICU, we

started to pinpoint similarities in many of the cases.

I am one of four interns in the Patient Relations department at Coliseum. We have

several responsibilities as a part of our internship experience. However, with four interns at one

site, sometimes there were not enough tasks to go around. Each morning, we begin with

multidisciplinary rounds. First, we begin rounding in the ICU with a complete care team. Then,

we move into the CVICU. Rounds are essential because every morning each patient’s case is

presented to a care team of highly qualified health professionals. Each staff member offers

special skills and certifications that contribute to creating a proper care plan for the patient. As

Patient Relations interns, we take notes during rounds that are relevant to us. Some of the areas

that I focus on during rounds include the patient’s ventilation status, family situation, prognosis,

plans to transfer, and DNR status. Rounds give the Patient Relations interns insight as to which

patients and families are in need of extra support. We return to check on those individual patients

and families throughout the day. In addition, Patient Relations interns are responsible for

orienting families while their loved one undergoes heart surgery. During the surgery, we visit the

families in the waiting room, go over visiting protocol with them, fill out documentation, and

relay information on the patient’s status. In some instances we are able to bring the family back

into the unit before their loved one returns from surgery. At that time we show the family what

room the patient will be in, who their nurse will be, and what to expect following surgery. In

addition to these tasks, interns round throughout the unit and waiting room to tend to the needs of

patients and families. Also, we often help our supervisor, Ms. Franchetta Trawick, with tasks

related to her position or the grief support group that she leads every month. All of the interns
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can agree that our favorite part of the day is rounds. We all love being in the clinical

environment, and I am very interested in learning about the conditions of these critical patients.

In addition, I really enjoy seeing a case through to the end. I wish we could have oriented more

families, but the summer tends to be the slow season in a hospital. Few people schedule their

heart surgeries in the summer, so there were many days that no surgeries were scheduled at all.

My internship at Coliseum met my expectations in some ways, but it did not meet my

expectations in other ways. I expected to be busier than I was. It did not take long for me to

realize that interns lack certain privileges. Therefore, we do not always have a substantial

number of tasks to complete. In addition, I envisioned interacting more with patients. However,

most patients in the ICU and CVICU are unconscious or on the ventilator, so we are unable to

interact with them. Nevertheless, this internship met my expectations in the sense that I

confirmed that I enjoy working in a hospital environment. I was very lucky to work under the

supervision of Ms. Franchetta. She is always open to my ideas and contributions. It makes me

feel valuable when she asks for my input and my assistance with projects that are outside of my

daily tasks. Ms. Franchetta was a fantastic site supervisor from the start. She is very considerate

and did a great job of easing us into the job rather than throwing us in head first. In addition, she

checks on us throughout the day and makes sure that we are comfortable in all areas. I could not

have asked for a more incredible health professional to work under. My internship experience

could have been improved if there were less interns. Personally, I believe that having four interns

at this particular site was excessive. If there were fewer interns, then I would have had the

opportunity to complete more tasks. However, I would definitely recommend the Patient

Relations department at Coliseum to upcoming senior students. This is an awesome opportunity,

and I was very fortunate to gain this experience. Prior to this internship, I was convinced that I
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wanted to pursue a career in Patient Relations. After this internship, I am open to exploring other

careers in a hospital environment. However, I have applied for a Patient Relations Representative

job in Atlanta, Georgia. I would like to see how a change in location and hospital will affect my

desire to pursue a career in this department.

I feel as though my education from Georgia College prepared me for my internship at

Coliseum. My prior knowledge of anatomy and physiology helped tremendously, along with

medical terminology. I felt the most confident in my customer service skills. Prior to beginning

this internship, I have worked in a restaurant for six years. Customer service skills are an

important aspect of the restaurant business, and I felt that these skills helped me immensely when

entering this internship. When interacting with patients and families, I speak with ease and feel

comfortable asking questions and speaking directly to them. In addition, when issues are

presented it is important to remain calm and handle situations in front of patients/clients in a

professional manner. This is a skill that I feel very confident in. However, I felt the least

prepared for the grief support area of this position. This is an area that I have not been trained for

professionally, and it was difficult to intervene in sensitive situations without proper training.

The professors and courses offered at Georgia College shaped my education experience and

influenced me greatly. In terms of future students, I feel that courses like Health Promotion

Program Planning and Community Health are important for Public Health students to

experience. Getting out in the community and seeing Public Health in action made a huge

difference in my understanding of this field. Not only would I suggest the continuation of these

courses, but I would also suggest that other courses integrate the Baldwin County community

into the course material as well. The experiences that I gained while taking the aforementioned

courses gave me a large portion of material to include on my resume. Also, I use those
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experiences to draw from during interviews. Without those courses, I would not have nearly as

many experiences from Georgia College that apply to my future career endeavors.

During the time that I spent at Coliseum Medical Centers I worked continuously on

refining my interpersonal skills. These are skills that Ms. Franchetta emphasizes on a daily basis.

When working in a department similar to Patient Relations, it is clear that skills such as

leadership, effective communication, and listening are very valuable. In regard to skills that I

believe that I can improve upon, I would enhance my time management skills. This internship

has shown me that time management is extremely important. I did not utilize the best time

management skills during this summer. After working all day, I found it very difficult to do other

things such as exercise or go to the grocery store. In reality, there will always be tasks that need

to be completed, and those tasks will have to be completed after working an eight-hour day. In

the future, I would like to become more effective in planning a schedule for my day and sticking

to it no matter how tired I am. However, I have also learned that it is important to take time for

yourself and receive proper rest in order to stay healthy. Working 40 hours per week can be very

exhausting, and it is important to put your health first. In terms of my performance, I am very

pleased with the work that I have put forward throughout this internship. From course

assignments to tasks for Ms. Franchetta, I put forth my greatest effort, and I am pleased with the

outcome.

This internship propelled me forward in my transition from college to the professional

world. After gaining experience in this department, I gained more insight as to what a career in

Patient Relations would resemble. I am not sure if this is what I would like to pursue for years to

come. However, I realize that Patient Relations in Middle Georgia would likely differ from

Patient Relations in the Atlanta area. I am used to a more fast paced way of life. In addition,
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working in a hospital as an intern has shown me that oftentimes you do not receive the most

respect if there are not letters of authority after your name. I want to feel valuable in my career

and as though my efforts are making a difference. Therefore, I am strongly considering returning

to school next fall to obtain a Master’s degree. If I return to school, I plan to pursue a Masters in

Health Administration. Personally, I feel more confident meeting new people and interacting

with individuals in sensitive situations. In addition, I was slightly apprehensive about working in

a clinical environment due to my occasionally weak stomach. Fortunately, I did not have any

issues working in these units. Also, I observed health professionals striving to make each

individual feel like a valued patient regardless of their social situation. In the Macon area, many

people who are admitted to the hospital have unfortunate issues socially and financially. It was

encouraging to watch employees treat everyone with the utmost respect. As I prepare to depart

from Coliseum Medical Centers, I look back with gratitude at all of the employees that made an

impact on my experience. I have learned a great deal and will take these experiences and newly

formed skills into the future as I prepare to begin my career.