As an aide your job will be as interesting, varied and challenging as there are days that you spend with your team. You may be assigned to cook, be the mechanic, or medical record aide. These particular jobs are described elsewhere in this book. Refer to them for information on what you may expect. Here are other jobs you might be assigned:
Greeter
This job is fun! You will "greet" each patient as they come to you from being processed through medical records by smiling and saying, in your finest foreign tongue, "good morning" or "good afternoon"; take the medical record card and obtain and record the following information: temperature, weight, and blood pressure. The patient is then asked to sit on a bench and wait until a doctor is available to see them. Sound easy? Well ... remember, many of our patients are babies so obtaining the data you need can bring new meaning to the word challenging. Patients are often very ill, hot, hungry and fearful. The clinic is often hot, noisy and crowded. All the patients speak a foreign language and your attempts at communication will often be misunderstood — simple instruction like "Please stand on the scale" can have comical results. But keep trying and smiling.
As a greeter you are the first member of the medical team that touches the patient. Make that touch count! Be gentle, smile, look right into their eyes and talk to them. Even if it is in English, a comforting voice and gentle touch is good medicine! Be in prayer that each person you greet will see Christ as they pass through clinic.
The information you gather is very important to the doctors and nurses. It is vital that it is accurate. Please take your time to do each procedure carefully and write legibly on the medical record card. If you are unable to obtain what you are sure is accurate information, please ask another team member to help you check your data.
If you are asked to do something that you are not sure how to do, please ask for assistance.
Pharmacy Aide
Clean hands are a must. You will be handling a variety of patient medications.
Pill counting — the pharmacy nurse will give you a bottle of medication and an envelope. Make sure the medicine name on the envelope matches the name on the bottle. Pour some pills out onto the counting tray and count out the number the nurse instructed you to count. Place in the envelope and seal using a wet finger (no licking!). Be accurate. Most medications must be taken for a certain length of time to be effective, so it vital each envelope contains the correct amount. Notify the nurse when you have finished.
You may be asked to prepare liquid medications. Be sure each container is clearly and accurately labeled. Some liquids are not to be ingested and can be lethal if they are taken internally.
Keep the pharmacy area clean and organized.
Doctor's Assistant
Each doctor will have two exam tables. Each doctor works a little differently so ask them what they would like you to do.
Clean the tables after each patient; use a paper towel and the spray disinfectant provided. Escort a patient from the greeter area to your table. Please keep families together. Ask the patient to sit on the table and remove his/her shirt/dress if the doctor desires this to be done. From here on your job is to be willing, available and teachable. You may be asked to hold a flashlight for a surgery, scrub a wound, hold a baby while it is receiving an injection or while mom is being cared for, change the hand washing water, pray with a patient, put supplies away, empty the trash, bathe a patient with a fever — the list is endless.
Whatever your specific job as an aide, remember you are caring for a priceless soul!
