#SPOTLIGHTSUNDAY Jillian McNamara

Junior, Jillian McNamara describes her experience interning with Pavilion Medical Home Health Care:

I am a Junior at Merrimack College, pursuing a Health Science degree with a concentration in Public Health.  Last semester I decided to gain professional experience related to my studies and began interning at a company called Pavilion Medical Home Health Care.  Pavilion Medical is a home health care agency.  Therefore, the company sends Skilled Nurses, Psychical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, or Home Health Aides to its patients’ homes, as needed.

In my past few months interning at the agency’s office, I have been assigned various tasks that have helped me learn critical skills in relation to healthcare.  However, my main responsibility is tracking patient’s medical records.  This includes making sure all the records are filled out completely and correctly by the respective nurses and/or therapists, the records done within the restricted time frame, and that I am following the policies of HIPPA to maintain patient confidentiality.  Also, all the patient visit notes must be tracked and logged electronically, which is a major skill I have acquired.  Another skill I have developed in this internship experience is communication.  When a patient begins home health care services, their primary care physician must sign off and approve of this.  Therefore, contact with doctors is crucial to make sure our patient can get the care they are requesting and need as soon as possible.

One of my favorite moments I have had so far was when I shadowed my supervisor at an assisted living complex in Lawrence.  She gave a presentation on high blood pressure and offered to take people’s blood pressures who wished to have it checked.  In her presentation, she mentioned how diet and exercise influence blood pressure and the risk factors associated with high blood pressure.   Those in attendance were engaged and eager to learn.  It made me realize the importance of educating those who are uninformed and how promoting healthy lifestyles can make a big difference in health outcomes.

I have loved interning at Pavilion Medical Home Health Care because they have allowed me to be involved in the company’s day to day operations and have always valued my input!  They are a small startup company which, I believe, has made me prosper and be successful since I am in an environment that lets me work closely with my supervisor, the clinical director of the company.  One day, I wish to work for the government in the Department of Public Health.  I believe this internship has put me on the path toward achieving this goal since I would most likely be dealing with medical records and data.  I truly believe without Merrimack and all its wonderful resources I would not have been given these opportunities to prosper as a student!

By Courtney Krause
Courtney Krause Marketing Intern