Crossroad Health Center Pediatrics

Alex Schmitt, Summer 2015

Justly representing what a career in primary care might be like, my internship at Crossroad Health Center — West always kept me on my toes. Between shadowing helpful and committed physicians, learning alongside an experienced medical team, interacting with a diverse patient population, and working on several different projects, I had an enriching, multifaceted educational experience that I feel will serve me well as I mature as a medical professional.

Because of the diversity of my time at Crossroad, it is difficult to paint a good picture of a day in the life of a Crossroad intern. Of the few regular activities I participated in, I feel it is important to highlight one. I was fortunate enough to shadow a physician for two half-days every week. Because Crossroad — West has both adult and pediatric providers, I was able to see a broad spectrum of patients, situations, and styles of care delivery. When I wasn't shadowing, I was working on one of many projects, including (but certainly not limited to), administering patient surveys, aiding in next-day appointment phone calls, re-evaluating Crossroad's status with patient-centered medical home quality measurements, working with a health systems company to improve many facets of care delivery, and completing my main project, developing patient educational resources on diet, nutrition, and exercise for the providers to utilize during patient visits.

I felt that my internship was flexible in its scope, enriching in its diversity, and genuine in its mission, and I think that a student of any and all interests, with the right drive, can have a meaningful experience at Crossroad Health Center — West.