StoryCorps at SHC: Anna Simos & Ronalyn Ramos

Ronalyn Ramos (RR): Being a medical assistant, I just love building the relationships with my patients. You've got to talk to them as if they're just a friend and not in medical terms either, talk to them in a level where they understand. And it's so rewarding knowing that I'm making a positive impact on each patient. And at the end of the day, that makes me happy.

Anna Simos (AS): Yeah. And as a medical assistant, you keep us marching in line. I mean, you deal with projects, reporting tools, looking at how we can better engage our patients, personalize it. But I think a really important feature in the work you do is you're such a good listener, not only for patients, but for all of us. And that's a huge part of the success in the Diabetes Navigator Program, is that they feel still connected and that somebody knows them by name, knows what's going on with them in their life, asks about them. Because with diabetes, patients don't feel well often and they tend to become hopeless. And you provide them hope, you listen to them, you help them with their journey.

RR: Yeah, there's a lot of rewarding experiences that come with being a medical assistant. You make a difference in someone's life just by even speaking to them through the phone. And I've learned to have lots of patience dealing with different personalities, understanding where they're coming from is key. You have to just learn to be patient and calm them down and let them know that we're here for them.

AS: I really appreciate that in you. I've watched you do that so many times and not take it personal. And that type of empathy you can't learn in MA school. I don't know where you get that, but you have it and it's magic.

RR: It's the bond.

AS: Yeah.

RR: That's why they keep coming back to us.

AS: It's really exciting where we're going and how we're growing this program. We're seeing thousands of patients, but we're able to engage and tailor and personalize. It's like we're taking care of a forest, but each tree matters. You're the keeper of the forest Ronalyn, and you do an outstanding job.

RR: Thank you for taking the time to highlight what I do.

AS: We're coming into our 10th year of diabetes and you and I are coming into our fifth year of working together, so there's so much work to be done. And that is good news because we'll reach more patients and go further. So thank you so much.

Produced by Stanford Health Care with interviews recorded in collaboration with StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to preserve and share humanity's stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world www.storycorps.org

Sound Editor: Emily Hsiao

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