Thinking out loud..... The real world is intimidating

I always thought of myself as a people person, with the ability to get along with diverse groups of people: employees, students, the public, etc. But I feel like my potential and skills were crippled during this time. I would consider my interaction with the various employees at the clinic to be very formal and occassionally uptight. I loved the whole experience though, don’t get me wrong, everyone’s kind to the “new girl”. But still, it is definitely a lot more pressure than I imagined. And to think that I’m only going into the clinic for WEEKLY meetings. This goes to show how unready I am to enter the public sphere of reality. I’m finding it scary and lonely.

On another note, my meetings are always nonetheless pleasant. I try very hard to maintain enthusiam, and sometimes I feel like that might come off as a bit too much. Dr. Khoo is simply brilliant and intimidating. He realizes the evolvement of the health care industry and understands the need to change and progress. My placement has definitely taught me a lot about the medical industry and how online platforms are welcoming this change with open arms.

As a matter of fact, Google and YellowPages got into direct contact with my supervisor inviting him to contribute the clinic’s online presence on their respective platforms. It is interesting to think how the world has changed and that producers of content are in line with consumers of content. That’s all for now, folks!

Happy interning!

Entering the unknown void of healthcare communications.... ALONE!

My name is Fay Ulrica, and I am doing my 20 day internship at Mill Street Medical Practice and Travel Medicine Centtre Perth. That’s right, two medical facilities, privately owned and managed by my mentor, Dr. Stanley Khoo.

Everyone expects an internship to provide wonderful and valuable experience. I had this in mind the whole time as I entered the clinic doors into Mill Street Medical Practice (MSMP), co-located with the Travel Medicine Centre Perth (TMCP). The best of two medical worlds in one. I have to admit, I was very intimidated, but I knew my course has prepared me well and even more so for this internship.

I came into the placement with a lot of hopes, and a yearn to learn. Allthough my placement leans towards the medical field of science, I saw it as an opportunity to learn more about health, science, and the general world of medicine. The wide and clean glass doors brought me into a large waiting room. The receptionist, Kym Beers, greeted me with a warm smile. The waiting room was tidy, and spacious, which had a minimalist look and feel to it. Kym offered me a drink as I waited for Dr. Stanley Khoo, my new supervisor and mentor.

Unlike other students, I am interning for Dr. Stanley Khoo, clinic manager for both MSMP and TMCP, located on 5 Mill Street in the heart of Perth CBD. Man, was I nervous. As I stared into the oblivion of the large aquarium in front of me, I felt like an anxious patient waiting to see the doctor.

Alas, our meeting went well. Better than I expected. I came prepared with a list of public relations activities to encourage relationships, start conversations, and begin word of mouth reccommendation among publics. A few solutions that I brought to the table was to increase the web presence, online toops, sophisticated communications planning, and to create a sustained brand management for both clinis.

I added to Dr. Stanley that both MSMP and TMCP have the potential to be one of the best medical facilities in Perth CBD as they provide extensive services to patients and travellers in one convenient location.

Healthcare is changing more rapidlty than almost any other field. My internship in this placement allowed me to apply my public relations principles learned from university into the healthcare environment. Times are changing and we have to adapt to the techniques to suit the desired end goals of an organization. Securing communications in a healthcare/clinical environment can serve as a foundation for a strong positive relationship among patients, improves population health outcomes, advances health care quality, generate exposure, etc

The list goes on.

We live in a hugely exciting time for the industry of Public Relations. As for myself, I am very fortunate to have Dr. Stanley as my mentor, a commited, very well organized, and passionate doctor with such an incredible wealth of knowledge! His ideas for using marketing and public relations to make a purposeful online presence is in line with what I was planning to work on during my internship.

With the rise of the Internet, medical practices such as Mill Street Medical Practice and Travel Medicine Centre Perth should hop on board the web presence express, or be left behind to pick up the pieces.

Till next time! Stay tuned !