Day 57 - My last week

Today was my final Monday in Alaska. It's amazing how different it felt walking into the clinic today then it did 9 weeks ago when I arrived for the first time. Instead of nervously waiting in the lobby to meet Dr. Hort like I did in mid-May, I walked confidently into the back of the clinic ready to showcase what I have been working hard on all summer.

I spent the morning finalizing my waiting room survey data and preparing my patient education material proposal for Dr. Bornstein. We met in the afternoon and he appeared to be very intrigued by what Dr. Hort and I have come up with. It was also rewarding to be able to present to him the statistics from the telephone survey - most of which reflect positively on the clinic. I know that this is an issue he has wanted to address for a long time and it will be nice to have some analysis and data to bring to the board of directors.

One of the my main points of emphasis over the past week has been to ensure that everything I have done over the past 9 weeks remains easily accessible for anyone on the SEARHC staff. Because of time constraints and needing to be realistic with my own expectations, I have realized that I could not have possibly developed a survey, conducted hundreds of interviews, analyzed all of the data, and then created a series of educational materials for OB patients during the time frame of my summer project. I will leave with certain pieces of patient education material developed, but another focus point is ensuring that I have laid the groundwork for the SEARHC dental staff to be able to finish what I have started in the coming months. This includes brainstorming, outlining, and researching.

I have created an outline for a 6 month plan to disseminate various pieces of educational materials utilizing many different types of media. This ranges from social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to local gatherings with community leaders in small Alaskan villages. In addition, I have provided the dental team with months worth of research to help them ease into becoming responsible for the new patient education material we have worked so hard to develop. As many of the staff members I have worked with have told me, it seems that SEARHC attempts to develop something new and innovative every year, only to fall short on sustainability and creativity. Let's hope this time it's different!

This evening I went to the mall to get a haircut and to purchase new headphones. For those who rely on public transportation, you know that having a charged iPod and a working set of headphones are vital to an enjoyable bus experience. The trip to the mall also made me look forward to coming back home and having my car back.

The public transportation system has been very useful and cost efficient, but it is often so time consuming. Take today's example: I had a 6:30 haircut appointment at the Nugget Mall which is about a 5 minute car ride from the dorm. I had to leave my apartment at 5:55 to catch the 6:00 bus that arrived at the mall around 6:15. After looking through the stores and getting a haircut I caught the 7:15 bus back to the school and walked into my dorm room at 7:45. What should have been a 40 minute experience turned into a nearly 2 hour experience. At least the people who ride the bus make it interesting.

Tomorrow is a big day as it is the grand opening of the vending machine. I am also presenting my findings at the staff meeting and will have an opportunity to thank everyone for being so kind and helpful over the past two months. Almost done...