Personal Narrative

My name is Jessika Smith. I requested my internship with Mrs. Franchetta Trawick

through the Coliseum Medical Center on February 11, 2021. I was granted the position along

with three of my peers on March 2, 2021. The Coliseum Medical Center is managed under HCA

Healthcare. The health system also manages the Coliseum Northside Hospital and the Coliseum

Center for Behavioral Health, all located in Macon, Ga, and serves surrounding middle Georgia

communities. The health system has been serving Macon for over 40 years.

My role as an intern is to research the topic I was given by my supervisor, which was

patient advocacy and grief counselors in the healthcare field. I also had to study the Piedmont

Healthcare System since the Coliseum Hospital HCA Healthcare system will be sold at the end

of July. I was responsible for finding out crucial information about all the 11 hospitals in the

Piedmont Healthcare System. This includes visiting each hospital website researching the careers

that all the Piedmont hospitals currently have were associated with Patient Advocacy, Patient

Relations, Customer Services Representatives, Patient Representatives, Grief Counseling.

Palliative and Hospice Counseling, and Chaplaincy. I also had to include the bed number of

employees, hospital services, and departments. I organized this information into charts and made

a correlation table to see if I could correlate.

This research on patient advocacy and grief counselors in the healthcare field was a need

since we could not attend our internship at the hospital. I learn a lot about the importance of

patient advocacy and grief counselors in the healthcare field. The research I did on patient

advocacy will be used to help and inform people, especially here in Macon, Ga, of different

organizations and groups. According to the 2010 Census, the median income in the city was

$28,366, versus the state average of $49,347. There are 24.1% of families and 30.6 of the
population live below the poverty line, 43.6% of those individuals are under the age of 18, and

18.4% is over 65. In recent years the city has experienced an increase in premature death

through homicides. In 2020 Macon, Ga experienced 38 homicides. These numbers started to

increase before 2018. Thirty-nine point four (39.4%) of people in Macon, Ga, use public health

coverage like Medicare, VA, or Medicaid, while 15.1% of people have healthcare. The 14 health

facilities mention in the research paper provides names of organization and groups that provide

patient advocacy. These groups and organizations offer membership intake and also provide

financial support.

The grief section of my research paper discusses the role of grief counselors in the

healthcare field. I also explained the grief process when someone losses a loved one. There are

two diagrams I included that explain the Kubler Grief Cycle. The research I also included was

the different types of grief and licensed counselors to help people. This research I conducted also

provided outside sources that intervals can use. I also conducted interviews with Chaplains from

Piedmont and pastors. These interviews allow people to understand the duties and

responsibilities of grief counselors.

In my opinion, my research report was a great success. I learn a lot. The most important

thing those who read my research report will learn about is different organizations and groups

that can assist people finically with healthcare insurance or none. This could lead to people in

Macon, Ga, and surrounding counties being able to have procedures or gain healthcare that they

need for little to no charge. The only thing I would do differently is having the opportunity to see

how Mrs. Franchetta department deals with patient advocacy and grief. I could have gain

knowledge that would have let me compare and contrast the research I did.