Name: Ben

Senior

Major: Biological Sciences

CFS Concentration: Field Studies in Public Health

This quarter, I interned at Access Community Health Network in Chicago. As a Biology major and an aspiring doctor, Access offered me a glimpse into the infrastructure surrounding the fast-evolving patient-centered medical home model of health care. I have been able to learn about the difficulties associated with continuity of care for a large, diverse population that is growing in size due to the Affordable Care Act rollout.

One other intern and I were in charge of updating patient panels for a few of the Chicagoland clinics overseen by Access. Maintaining up-to-date panels not only aids in accountability and manageable workloads for physicians, but it also helps foster continuous doctor-patient relationships. In order to get insight into the need for empanelment and how community health clinics are run, I visited a clinic to shadow a couple physicians and nurse practitioners. Also, since empanelment has only recently gained attention among community health care clinics, the other intern and I were in charge of updating the empanelment procedure for future employees.

The Field Studies experience has taught me numerous skills with respect to using the electronic medical record, adhering to health administration policies, and problem solving. However, my in-class experience was also extremely beneficial as it served as my first real encounter with what the field of Public Health covers. The group presentations not only required me to immerse myself into a topic I wasn’t familiar with, but they also helped me improve my public speaking skills. I highly encourage more students to participate in this fantastic opportunity that Northwestern has to offer.