A description of my internship at the Sullivan Center.

1. My Internship at
the Joseph F.
Sullivan Center
McKenzie Wilson

2. Joseph F. Sullivan Center
• The Sullivan Center is a
Nursing and Wellness Clinic.
It is run by nurses and nurse
practitioners and serves both
Clemson employees and the
underserved community in
the area.
• Located on the first floor of
Edwards Hall on Clemson’s
campus and various off-site
locations
Joseph F. Sullivan Center
College of Health, Education, and Human
Development
101 Edwards Hall Clemson, SC
864-656-3076

3. Vision: The Joseph F. Sullivan Center is an
integrating force for creating multidisciplinary
partnerships focused on innovative methods to
enhance community well-being that promotes
human development, skill building and creative
leadership.
http://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/sullivan/aboutus/Mission.html

4. Mission Statement/ Goals
Mission: The Joseph F. Sullivan Center will drive community
health research initiatives providing innovative, real-life student
learning.
Values:
o Relationships define health.
o Holistic balance is wellness.
o Affordable care is a right of all
o Transdiciplinary teams promote
positive skills.
o A global and environmental
perspective is critical to human
development.
http://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/sullivan/aboutus/Mission.html

5. Services Offered
• Acute care is provided onsite by nurse practitioners and other providers.
• Health management services are provided to help patients monitor
chronic conditions or to screen for potential diseases.
• CU4Health is a health promotional service offered to Clemson employees,
faculty, and staff which includes a health risk appraisal, blood work, blood
pressure and BMI screening, and a follow-up counseling session with a
trained health educator to review your results and help lower risk areas.
• Medical Surveillance and Immunizations
• Dermatology and Acupuncture Services
• Best Chance Network is a program that works towards reducing breast
and cervical cancer deaths through early detection and prevention by offering
free breast and cervical cancer screenings in women aged 47-64 who are
uninsured and meet certain income guidelines.
• Walhalla and Clemson Free Clinics serve the low income uninsured
population in the local area by traveling to locations that are convenient to
patients and offering services to patients regardless of their ability to pay.

6. My Roles
• Taking vital signs (blood pressure, height, weight, temperature,
heart rate)
• Taking patient health history and reason for visit
o Becoming proficient at Allscripts (charting)
• Performing lab tests (UA, glucose, hemoglobin, pregnancy test)
• Keeping rooms clean and restocked
• Preparing for BCN and off-site clinics and making Wise Women
binders
• Conducting CU4Health Counseling
• Stock room (unpacking new materials and keeping it organized
and documenting where supplies are located)

7. Vital Signs
• While working at the Sullivan
Center, I learned how to take
a patient’s vital signs, both
electronically and manually.
• These vital signs included
height and weight
measurements, as well as
temperature and blood
pressure.

8. Patient Work Up
• I learned the importance of
getting a complete health
history of a patient to give
the provider a holistic view
of the patient’s health.
• I also learned the value in
taking a thorough and
efficient patient intake to
allow the providers the most
concise yet effective time
with their patients.

9. Proficiency With Allscripts
• Allscripts was the Electronic
Health Record that the
Sullivan Center used to chart
patient information.
• With Allscripts I learned how
to input vital signs, chart
patient history and reason for
visit, as well as ordering and
inputting laboratory results.

10. Flu Shot Work Up
• During the fair I charted 200
patients.
• For the Clemson Employee
Benefits fair, my job was to
chart the employees who
received flu shots.

11. Performing Lab Tests
• Often, I would perform
routine in-house lab tests.
• These tests included:
Urinalysis, Glucose,
Hemoglobin, Pregnancy, and
Strep.

12. Clean & Restock
• It was also my job to
maintain the cleanliness of
each of the four exam rooms
after patient visits and make
sure they were restocked for
the next patient visit.

13. • The Sullivan Center runs two
off-site clinics and a Best
Chance Network for the
underserved communities in the
surrounding area.
• I was responsible for making
sure the materials were gathered
and packed for each off-site and
BCN clinic.
• This included packing the Wise
Women binders that contained
health wellness information for
the women involved in the BCN
program.
Off-Site & BCN Clinics

14. CU4Health Counseling
• I conducted follow-up
counseling sessions with
patients regarding lab results
of blood work and a health
risk appraisal analyzing their
lifestyle and health habits and
identifying ways to lower
their risk for certain chronic
diseases.

15. • During my internship, I was
assigned special projects to
work on throughout the
semester.
o Keeping storage room neat and
organized
o Documenting where all storage
room supplies are kept
o Making sure BCN and WW
supplies are packed for each
visit
o BCN Packing Materials
document
Projects

16. Conclusion
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my internship at the
Joseph F. Sullivan Center. In addition to the tangible
skills of charting, taking vital signs, working with
health technology, and working up patients, I have
learned the importance of working well with a team
to create an efficient and effective practice with a
focus on patient-centered care. I have also gained a
better appreciation for the need of care for
underserved populations. It has been empowering
knowing that I can use my healthcare knowledge to
make a difference in my community.