Here we go!

September Monthly Community Hours: 3
Cumulative Fall Semester Hours: 3 

Hi! I'm Jody, and after completing my Master's in Healthcare Administration this spring, I realized that while I love thinking about healthcare systems, I want to maximize my impact on patients, not just on a systems level, but through the bedside, advocacy, and the way care is delivered. 

The first few weeks have been a whirlwind! It's been fun getting to know my classmates and sharing my favorite parts of New Orleans. Returning to intensive studying has been an adjustment, but I'm finding what works - and my dog, Lucy, loves having me home. 

For community service, I've been working with FreeStanding Communities, which is an all-volunteer outreach group that bridges gaps for the underserved in New Orleans. They help bring health literacy, screenings, and care directly into communities. It's a model for compassionate, barrier-free care that I'm proud to be a part of.

I'm still in their training phase, and this past Saturday's 3-hour session covered EKGs, wound care, airway maintenance, IV prep, and point-of-care testing. This was highly interactive and gave us a hands-on opportunity to practice these skills while continuing to train on their EMR. For me, it was a welcome brush-up from my ED tech days. I am excited to be back in patient-facing work soon


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