Amber Beck – Medical Internship

Over the past few months, I have had the opportunity to be an Intern at New Holland Optometric Associates. My internship is built on a rotation cycle of about 6 weeks in each area of the office. I started out at the front desk observing and assisting with Receptionist duties, and have since moved on to shadowing the Optometric Techs. Once I am finished with this rotation, I will then be shadowing the doctors and finally, the opticians. The rotational schedule of the internship allows me to observe all areas and learn more about the daily operations of a medical office.

My first rotation at the front desk was a great experience that allowed me to learn more about patient interaction and the ins and outs of a medical office. Some daily responsibilities include answering the phones and addressing patients’ questions, checking patients in and out, and completing billing procedures. Over my time at the front desk, I had the opportunity to manage the Live Patient Report. This is a spreadsheet used to indicate when a patient checks in/checks out, as well as what testing or exam room they are in. The system is crucial to managing patient flow throughout the office. I also completed patient routing slips which include the patient’s basic information and are then passed off to the techs to record the patient’s results during testing. Another responsibility I had was distributing check-in paperwork to patients. I learned the different types of paperwork for each type of appointment and how the paperwork varies for new vs. existing patients.

    Currently, I am in the midst of my rotation with the Optometric Techs. The first thing I learned was the flag system, which is another way the office manages patient flow. Each exam room has colored flags with each representing something different about who is currently in the room or the patient’s status. For example, white means waiting/dilating, and yellow means the tech is currently in the room. I have had the opportunity to assist with some tests, such as “spot-testing” which records the patient’s prescription. I have been able to shadow a variety of testing which has been extremely beneficial in understanding more about the various parts of an eye appointment.

I am immensely grateful for my opportunity to intern at New Holland Optometric Associates. The staff is always eager to explain what they are doing and answer any questions I’ve had while observing. One of my favorite parts of the internship so far has been getting to shadow a few patients through their entire visit from check-in to check-out. This has been a great way to see how the patient flow works and what happens throughout an appointment. Before my internship, I was interested in medicine and specifically the specialty of Neurology. Due to the many connections between the eyes and the brain, this experience has helped solidify that pathway for me.