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Junior Board Spotlight: Meridith Pollie

IMG_4792 - Meridith Pollie

Position: Patient Services Coordinator

 

What does your position do?

As one of the Patient Services Coordinators, I schedule patients for their Medicine, Women’s Health, and Mental Health follow-up appointments at the Community Clinic. Additionally, when I am contacted by patients about their clinical care, I make sure that their concerns are relayed to appropriate clinic leadership.

 

What motivated you to get involved with the clinic?

Ever since I visited Weill Cornell for our incoming students’ revisit weekend last spring, I knew I wanted to get involved with the WCCC. The idea of a student-run clinic – where we as medical students really hold the reigns in terms of scheduling patients, learning about their medical conditions, and making a plan for how to address their issues – was, and still is, incredibly exciting to me. Every time I attend clinic, meet our patients, hear their stories, and work with other students and attending physicians to decide on a course of action to help them, I learn so much and am reminded of why I want to be a doctor.

 

What do you enjoy about your position?

Every time I call a patient, I get to know them a little bit over the phone. As we work together to find times that work for them to come into clinic, we often end up chatting about life, family, etc. I have 2 favorite parts of my job: the first is when I call patients and they recognize the clinic number and answer with, “Meridith!” The second is when patients express their gratitude to me over the phone or when I meet them at clinic. Our patients, who are without health insurance, are extraordinarily grateful for the work we put in to make our clinic run. When they express this, it feels good, and it is a great reminder of why we do what we do.

 

How would you like to move the clinic forward?

Scheduling calls is more than just a way to set up a doctor’s visit; these calls are the first opportunity we have to make sure the patient feels welcome at the WCCC. I want our patients to come to clinic knowing that there is someone there with whom they have already established a rapport over the phone, and who is paying close attention to ensure they get their care.

Weill Cornell Community Clinic 505 E. 70th St New York, NY 10065 Phone: (646) WMC-WCCC (962-9222) Fax: (646) 962-0350