Understanding Healthcare Through Hands-On Experience
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During my internship at Gateway Clinic, I had the opportunity to rotate through different departments, including the Under-Five Clinic, ART clinic, laboratory, family planning, antenatal care, and TB clinic. Each department gave me a different experience and helped me understand how different parts of a primary healthcare clinic work together. I was able to gain hands-on experience with tasks such as performing malaria tests, dispensing HIV and TB medication, completing patient registers, monitoring children's growth, and helping with nutrition records.
One of my favorite parts of the internship was being able to move beyond just observing and actually participate in some of the work. During my final week, I took part in an HPV vaccination campaign at a local school, where I was able to vaccinate children under supervision. This was a really meaningful experience for me because it allowed me to put some of the skills I had been learning into practice. I also learned how important accurate record keeping is, from updating patient master cards to completing laboratory forms and documenting treatments.
Beyond the clinical skills, my time at Gateway taught me a lot about communicating with patients and working as part of a healthcare team. Being in the clinic and interacting with different patients helped me become more comfortable in a healthcare environment and showed me how important patience, empathy, and respect are when providing care. I also learned that public health involves much more than treating someone when they are sick; it also involves prevention, education, follow-up, nutrition, and making sure patients continue to receive the care they need.
I am very grateful for my time at Gateway Clinic because I genuinely enjoyed my experience there. The staff were willing to teach me and allowed me to learn by observing and participating where appropriate. This internship has strengthened my interest in public health and given me a better idea of the kind of work I would like to be involved in in the future.