COPE Health Scholars KIARA JEREZ @araxkia
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reating patients with respect and kindness was not an issue for intern, Tyler Tillmon. Tillmon was issued to work for Riverside Community Hospital, as a COPE Health Scholar intern. The COPE Health Scholar program extends from California to Hawaii, giving the opportunity to students in the medical field to explore hospital settings. Prior to the internship, it was clear to Tillmon he wanted to pursue in the medical field, “I think it’s something that attracts you more into medicine, or away from medicine because there’s a lot of people who say they want to become a doctor or a nurse and they actually get into the hospital and they realize it’s not for them or it’s meant to be. And that’s what it did for me. It makes me more hungry to become a physician,” says Tillmon. Tillmon is dedicated to making patients feel at home and comfortable in and admits it was a humbling experience. After a sympathetic encounter with one of his patients, it pushed Tillmon to work hard towards his career and goals. Overtime the patient turned out to become ill and turned to Tillmon begging for help. “Yes I want to help you, yes i will be able to have the knowledge to do that, or the medicine to do that. It helps motivate me.” Although working with patients took a toll on Tillmon’s time, he knew ways to balance both career and school life. While working at the hospital, his main focus is to help patients versus at school, his main focus were on his studies. With the mindset, it helped him to flip a switch when it was time to care for patients and when it was time to focus on his school work. Tillmon was a part of the emergency department. In the emergency department, students needed to go door by door and make sure their patients had meals, water, baths and anything that was needed to make their stay more comfortable. Tillmon explains the interaction between himself and his patients are important especially in the state of mind the patients are in. “Patient care is the most important thing. The way you talk to patients is going to change the way they talk back to you the way they respond to you trying to help them, and the way they want help.” “Being able to be the person that’s there for them, means a lot,” says Tillmon.
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BRODY SALAZAR @brody_salazar
During his internship, Tillmon witnessed a death in the hospital and the affects on their families. Tillmon admitted it made his heart heavy and affected him emotionally. Despite witnessing a hard death, he continued help patients and create a bond with them and their families. He included that he made meals for his patient and their family. “Even at times when I get frustrated with a patient, sometimes you’ll have to look past it and think what do I do this for? Is to help others, I think that’s the most cliche thing to say but you’re there to help others in ways other people don’t want to help them. My care for patients has been the same since day 1, the care and appreciation for patients,” says Tillmon. Becoming an intern at Riverside Community Hospital showed Tyler Tillmon how significantly far helping people can go and the bonds you can create with the people you come across with.
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