Clinical Health Coach Profile
Evelyn Majavec
Evelyn Majavec
| Julie: | Hi Evelyn. Thanks for talking with me today. Can you tell me about your role in your clinic? |
| Evelyn: | I work at Community Health Centers of Southern Iowa and Lamoni Clinic and I’m a case manager. My main focus in on diabetics, but we do help with other things….sending out reminder letters, follow up with the hospital reports, etc. |
| Julie: | What was it about health coaching or the health coach training that most excited you? |
| Evelyn: | Being able to help people see that they are able to participate in their own goals. That they can set a goal, and that they can see light at the end of the tunnel. |
| Julie: | Has the health coach training altered or changed the way you approach your patients? |
| Evelyn: | I do believe it has. It has helped me to learn a little bit more about open-ended questions and being able to listen to what the patient wants and how they can get to the point of reaching their goals. There are times I can interject to help also. |
| Julie: | What are the two most valuable skills that you took away from the health coach training? |
| Evelyn: | Using the open-ended questions and being able to listen to what the patient wants and what their goals are. Helping them come up with goals and seeing them realize that they have a part of the process, not just being told this is what you are supposed to do. They can come up with ideas and they have an importance in the whole process. |
| Julie: | How often do you see your patients? |
| Evelyn: | I may have had one time where I have had longer to spend with a patient, but generally I have 2, 3, or 4 minutes. |
| Julie: | WOW. |
| Evelyn: | They come in to see the doctor and they are anxious to leave. So, my time is between the time that they come in and before the doctor sees them. The nurse needs to get in there and do her part too. |
| Julie: | So, you don’t get to see them after they see the doctor. |
| Evelyn: | Very few. I’ve had one or two. |
| Julie: | That has to be difficult. What skills have you used, since you have such a short amount of time? |
| Evelyn: | One of the first things I will ask is, “How do you think things are going?” “What’s working well for you?” Often times they will tell me something different than they just told the nurse. |
| Julie: | Do you get to see your patients back? |
| Evelyn: | Yes, I get to see them about every 3 months. Occasionally, if someone seems to have had struggles or it’s been a little bit harder for them, they may come in for something else, but I may just pop in and say, how are things going? Not official, but just kind of check in to see how things are going for them. |
| Julie: | Can you share with me a particular success you’ve had? |
| Evelyn: | I had a patient just the other day and she was one that had told the nurse that everything was going well. When I went in she told me she hadn’t really been adhering to her diet and not exercising. So then we went in to, what has been working for you? What is your plan now? She told me she was dog sitting and she was going to start walking the dog. She likes to get out to walk in the evening. We didn’t make a specific plan yet, be she got herself thinking about getting out after dinner to walk the dog. |
| Julie: | You got her thinking about it? |
| Evelyn: | Yes… and all this is within 5 minutes. |
| Julie: | You have got to get a lot done in that short amount of time! What have you learned from your patients in your experience with health coaching them? |
| Evelyn: | The majority of patients really want to do better, but sometimes, they feel frustrated because they don’t know where to go or how to start. It’s just overwhelming. Those are all just real feelings and sometimes we aren’t listening to them. We can just kind of pass them off and think, well they’re doing ok or they’re just not going to be compliant and that’s it. So, just being able to listen to them and being able to find out where they are coming from and sometimes just being there and not telling them what they HAVE to do.
I did have a patient’s A1C that had gone up. He was one that didn’t want any education any help or anything. He didn’t want me to come in and talk to him. I said ok. So, when he came back the next time, I just poked my head in and said, “Hi, and how you doing?” I didn’t push him. Now, he lets me come in all the time and we actually discuss. |
| Julie: | Wow, that is a success story! |
| Evelyn: | …and his A1C is under better control. |
| Julie: | How does your clinic measure outcomes? |
| Evelyn: | We send out reminder letters, we always mark down their A1C’s so we can see what’s going on.
For those that need additional help, we have a dietician that comes in and we encourage them to see her. She does coaching also. |
| Julie: | What was the most valuable take away from your health coach training? |
| Evelyn: | Open-ended questions to help direct the conversation. It’s not just in the coaching here, but I’ve applied it to my bible study. Encouraging people to look beyond what they are told or what they are expecting you to say. |
| Julie: | What would you like to share with someone who is new to health coaching? |
| Evelyn: | Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Each person has their own individual way of connecting with people. Be yourself, but also be aware of what the patients likes and what they will accept. Not being pushy or too passive either. |
| Julie: | Sounds like you did that with the gentleman who didn’t even want to see you at first? |
| Evelyn: | Yes. |
| Julie: | Thanks for your time Evelyn, I enjoyed hearing your stories. |