I have been in Chamberlain for about two weeks now and have had a good experience so far. The town of Chamberlain is absolutely beautiful with all the hills and the location being along the Missouri River. My partner, Bailey, and I are living in an apartment at the St. Joseph Indian School. We have a great view right outside of our apartment of the Missouri River and have already experienced the most beautiful sunsets right outside of our apartment! On our first day, we got a tour of the town and a few of the surrounding towns. One of my favorite parts of town is the cute Main Street where there are many different types of shops. We got the opportunity to explore all the different shops on our first Saturday in Chamberlain and it did not disappoint. The town of Chamberlain has other perks, such as their River City Friday Nights on Main Street. We volunteered to help the Sanford Hospital with an obstacle course they put on at the River City Friday Nights on our first Friday in town. Bailey and I had an absolute blast getting to know some of the kids and families in the community. I really enjoyed watching the kids get competitive on the obstacle course. We also got to see a lot of dogs, which I loved, as they were having a dog show contest. It was great to get out into the community!
In my first two weeks at Chamberlain Sanford Hospital, I’ve learned so much about rural healthcare. I’ve had the opportunity to shadow in many of the different departments and professions, including the Emergency Department, the clinic, the hospital, social work, pharmacy, mental health, medical doctors, physician assistant, nurses, and more. We were able to observe and learn more about these different professions from day one. I’ve attended many different interdisciplinary meetings and have gained a better understanding of how all the different professions work together to provide the best possible care for each patient. One thing that stuck out to me was how all the different professions meet with the patients in the hospital daily to talk about how the care for the patient was going. It was great seeing all the interprofessional relationships and how they work together so well. I also really enjoyed the opportunity I had to observe the mental health provider at Chamberlain as she did a mental health assessment on an ER patient that came in. It was cool to see what my field of clinical psychology can do in a hospital setting. After two weeks in Chamberlain, I am excited for two more weeks of experiences to come.