For the past 4+ years, my treatment routine has been to spend Saturday morning, once a month, at the infusion clinic. As a result of his retirement, since changing from Dr.S #1 to Dr.S #2, I have been seeing her once every third month on a weekday for examination, consultation and conversation.
One of the things I’m realizing that I miss by coming to the clinic primarily on weekends is seeing the army of volunteers that support the staff during the week. Making sure to stop and interact with all patients, the interns particularly attend to those who are here alone - neither an unusual or especially sad situation – offering dialogue, or a bit of diversion in the form of items from their cart of treats, snacks, books and fun activities.
This infusion clinic is located at a teaching hospital. I personally like that type of immersive learning culture and apprenticeship dynamic. Plus, all of the “Intro to Cancer” books recommend that kind of facility for its access to the latest treatment options, and research zeitgeist. These volunteer interns may seem like glorified “candy stripers” on the surface, but aside from the first-hand medical knowledge they’re receiving, they are witnessing the process, absorbing the vibe and developing the basics of a good bedside manner (so critical to the care partnership paradigm). And they really do have candy on the carts!
