Perhaps one of the most rewarding experiences during my undergraduate career has been working as a home health aide. I came across an ad in the IUPUI Classifieds that was titled “Autism Internship” and involved working for a family with a little girl with a chromosomal disorder and autism. I quickly replied to the ad and had an interview with the family and a day to shadow within a week. The family was not able to find a reliable home health aide to work with their child and had eight previous people start and quit in mere months before I started. After finishing training, I immediately began working evenings and weekends with the patient. During our time together, we attempted to reach various goals such as increasing mobility through aquatic activities.

Working as a home health company has provided me with a good foundation for entering into a medical career. The annual training that an aide completes includes HIPPA procedures, universal illness prevention, and basic medical skills such as bandaging and wound care to name a few. One of the most beneficial opportunities regarding medical practice is proper patient care. In many medical practices, there is limited amount of time to spend with the patient. With my experience, I was able to develop patient care techniques over a long period of time. I witnessed how various disorders affect the patient’s life and how to care for the patient.

Another benefit of working with this family was that they were extremely proactive with their child’s health and wanted the aide to be well informed about each disease. When I started the job, the family gave me a binder that had an overwhelming amount of information and resources about autism from a seminar for educators working with children with autism from the organization Hands in Autism. Over the time that I have worked with this patient I have also routinely had hands on experience with occupational and physical therapists, various physicians, ABA therapists, and speech pathologists. Being able to observe various professionals in their respective fields has given me a comprehensive overview of the treatment options for people with disabilities and has helped develop a more holistic view on medical practices.

I have truly enjoyed my time spent working with this patient. My interest in the medical field has increased through my work as a home health. I have gotten to experience and help carry out the treatment plan for a patient and learn how the medical guidelines implemented by a doctor our carried out in the patient’s everyday life, such as in the school system, at home, and with the insurance agency.  It is useful for my future career in the medical field to have gained these skills. I have personally witnessed the benefits of being proactive about medical issues and personal help and I truly believe that medical professionals have the ability to change lives.