McKinley's
main function is simply to treat the students who require medical attention
of the University of Illinois of Urbana Champaign. According to one of the
clerks, there are over 150 workers who keep McKinley functioning. Some of
the workers include the student workers, janitorial workers, clerks, nurses,
doctors, pharmacist, administration, record keepers, and more. Along with
treating students who are sick, McKinley also provides information about
sickness, medicine for sickness, and other medical related type things for
students.
When I was in the waiting area, I sat down on one
of the many chairs and noticed that the cushions were faded and extremely
soft probably due to the amount of people who sit on them. Looking around
there are magazine and pamphlets for patients to read while they wait. Turning
back to one of my observations, I even saw some students doing homework as
they were waiting for their turn. Another thing I realized about the waiting
area in this clinic was much like the waiting area for my family doctor back
at home, which added a welcoming effect to the clinic. The office area
where the clerks worked were organized in their own little fashion. Although
everyone files were organized, the files at each desk were organized
in a different way in each area. Another thing that was consistent from
desk to desk was that almost all of the clerks had some kind of picture
to remind them that there is something to look forward to after work.
The McKinley Health Center is a friendly work place that
is devoted to students. McKinley tries to listen to the students' problems
and try to provide them with the best doctors possible so that student gets
the best medical care he or she can get from McKinley. Furthermore, it may
not be apparent to all the patients who use the clinic, privacy is extremely
important to McKinley. They wanted to make sure everything I did had
little effect on the patient and not to ask them questions. In fact,
throughout my observations, I looked normal enough with the name tag
that I was often confused as a worker. The areas in McKinley are clearly
labeled and people are directed to the waiting area and told where to go when
it is time to be examined by the doctor. The building is very organized as
well. This is important because people seeking aid do not need to wonder the
building does not need to look hard to get to the place they need to.
It is also a work place that seems to get quite hectic
at times. When it is hectic, the clerks try their best to move people as fast
as possible while trying to be courteous with the long hours they work. But
when the area is not so busy, the environment is very relaxed and laid back,
just trying to have fun. This laid back experience could also be experienced
just by looking at their work place. As I said before some people put pictures
and one clerk even put a toy penguin by their computer. The change of attitude
and decoration of their desk is probably necessary in the work place so the
clerks can remain happy throughout the day and so they will not have any
negative feelings toward the patients. In the end, McKinley seems like a
great student resource in supplies and information and a terrific health
clinic for students on mis campus with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
