Shadowing (First 5 Hours)

This past week, I was able to begin my shadowing hours for the semester; working towards the 20-hour goal for the entirety of the semester. This week, I had the privilege of shadowing a nurse practitioner at a weight loss clinic in Johnson City, TN. This was so different than any other office that I have shadowed in as of yet, and it changed my perspective for how I had viewed weight loss clinics in the past. Previously, I had not given much thought to the workings of a weight loss clinic, and I figured they were just basically passing out diet pills to help customers lose weight. Through this shadowing experience, I learned that this was not necessarily the case.

     There are a lot more to weight loss clinics than one may be able to immediately bring to mind. At this office, the provider (along with the staff) stress the importance of a healthy lifestyle including exercise and a well-balanced diet. Yes, there are some medications/injections that are given to the patients in order to help them “kick-start” their energy and or suppress cravings and overbearing appetite, but that is not the primary focus of this clinic. They truly want their patients to succeed in their weight loss journeys and offer encouragement for every step along the way. The patients come in for a monthly weigh in and to pick up any prescriptions that they may be getting. At this appointment, they discuss with the provider how they have implemented previous health style discussions into their own lives, how they feel that they have done with progress, and whether or not they faced any issues throughout the month that may have had adverse effects on their weight loss. The provider then tells the patient whether they need to “keep doing what they are doing” or whether or not some aspects of their efforts need to be modified in order to produce an overall healthier being.

I found it very interesting how the providers tied everything back to weight, many of which I was not total aware of. One’s body weight affects so much when it comes to health and preventative measures. Excess weight can affect anything from back/leg pain and overall discomfort to cardiac/respiratory issues and organ failure. The hope that this clinic and its providers hold is that they are making a difference in their patient’s health and helping them to protect themselves from serious ailments.

All in all, shadowing here has been a very interesting and informative experience. I learned a lot about nutrition/exercise (including small activities that one does not normally associate with exercising) and about how body weight and one’s BMI can affect so many other things. I plan on coming back to this clinic to shadow more later on in the semester and hope to continue to learn more about the importance of advocating for a healthy lifestyle when working with patients.