Upon graduating from UNC in May 2019, I am currently working at Cognitive Psychiatry of Chapel Hill (CPCH), my former Gil Internship site! As a full time employee, I am tasked with many more responsibilities than I had as an intern. My roles constantly grow and develop with the practice. Right now I am currently an office medical assistant as well as a healthcare systems analyst. What does this entail?
I have many clerical duties like being a receptionist. This involves checking patients in, dealing with billing complications, as well as answering the phone. In addition to that, I assist in preliminary urinalysis for substance abuse patients and communicate with psychiatrists and pharmacists about patient prescriptions. Furthermore, I work with the electronic medical record (EMR) and various other tracking systems in order to compile patient data and appointment data. But one of my favorite parts of the job is training new Gil Interns!
Being a Gil Intern has not only prepared me for this job but was able to let me secure this job during my gap year. I loved my experience so much, and am very grateful. The internship allowed me to explore my curiosity as a pre-med and a psychology major. By being at CPCH, I was able to interact with psychiatrists and their patients and understand what was important to me as a prospective doctor. During my time as an intern I collected data from patients about what contributed and detracted from a doctor-patient relationship. All of my data pointed to one thing: respect.
This was an incredibly valuable thing for me to learn and I carry it through in my day-to-day patient interactions. The internship also taught me the necessity of communication outside of group projects in the classroom. Communication is fundamental to the practice and the patient’s comfort is top priority. Without talking to each team member (practice manager, therapist, physician, etc) about even uncomfortable things, the practice cannot succeed. Communication was also seen in my interview skills which were strengthened during my time as an intern. I learned how to answer questions professionally and could effectively explain a setback and what it taught me.
With all of this knowledge gained from the internship, I am excited to announce that I will be attending medical school in Fall 2020! The Gil Internship most definitely helped me get to where I am today, and has taught me skills that I will continue to use in the future.
