Faces of Summer: Meet Six Temps

Before they headed back to college, summer workers shared memorable moments and reflect on their time working in various roles, from Emergency Rooms to Urgent Care centers at Cape Cod Healthcare. Meet Taylor, Emma, Elizabeth, Alexandra, Caroline and Anastasia.

Taylor Palmer

Taylor worked as a Patient Access Representative this summer in the Emergency Room at Cape Cod Hospital. In this role, she registered patients, provided pillows and warm blankets and placed ID bands on patients that arrived via ambulance. She is entering her junior year at Providence College where she is majoring in psychology.

• What brought you to Cape Cod Healthcare? I am hoping to become a speech-language pathologist and since many people in this field work in hospitals, I wanted to familiarize myself with a hospital setting. Since Cape Cod Hospital is only a five-minute drive from my summer house, I decided to apply for a job as a summer temp here.
• Memorable moment: I was in a patient’s room who had just gotten into a car accident, and right before I was about to leave the room, the patient looked at me with a smile and said, “You are so good at your job.”
• Are you from the Cape? Do you live here year-round? I am from Winchester, Massachusetts. Ever since I was born, I have spent every summer on Cape Cod, as a lot of my family members live here or summer here as well.
• Future plans in healthcare: My plan is to become a speech-language pathologist, but working in the Emergency Room this summer has opened my eyes to other potential fields.
• Summer fun: I spend my summers in West Yarmouth and love spending time with my cousins and friends. Some of my favorite activities on Cape Cod are paddle boarding, mini golfing, swimming and boating.

Emma Williams

Emma who worked as a Patient Service Assistant (Nursing Assistant) on the Med/Surg floor at Falmouth Hospital this summer, is entering her junior year at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. Emma plans to pursue a degree in nursing and eventually work as a nurse at Falmouth Hospital.

• What brought you to Cape Cod Healthcare: I have been a longtime summer resident in Falmouth and I wanted to give back to my community as well as gain more real world experience while working on my degree.
• Day in the life: I worked four days a week on a rotating schedule, beginning at 7 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m. As a patient service assistant, my days consisted of responding to call lights, checking vitals and helping patients ambulate safely. 
• Favorite parts about the job: Being able to see the impact of high-quality patient care as well as learning more about nursing!
• Where did you grow up? North of Boston, but I have been spending my summers here for my entire life. 
• Slice of summer: I enjoyed spending time with my family and friends, going to the beach and taking long walks.

Elizabeth Tarbokas

Elizabeth who worked as an Emergency Center Tech at Cape Cod Hospital this summer, graduated from UMass-Dartmouth this past May with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She plans to start her nursing career at Cape Cod Hospital this fall in the novice program. 

• Why Cape Cod Healthcare: I was born at Cape Cod Hospital, so when entering the healthcare field, I felt that Cape Cod Healthcare was the right choice for me, knowing how much this organization has done for me, my family and my community. 
• Day in the life at Cape Cod Hospital: My day started at 7 p.m. and ended at 7 a.m. As an ER technician, you never know what your shift would entail. You could have things as minor as small cuts and bruises to major cardiac events, so you had to be prepared for anything. I tried to make sure that during my shift, my zone was stocked. I checked in with the nurses to see if they needed any help so things would run smoothly. 
• Favorite parts of the job: How much I learned every single shift. I learned about a new disease or treatment, and that’s really exciting. It definitely helped me to provide better patient care. I also loved the fast pace of the job. There was always something happening. 
• Where are you from? I am originally from Cape Cod and lived here year-round until this past year when I moved to New Bedford. 
• What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? I love to spend time with my family and take our bullmastiff for walks. I also love to crochet and read as much as I can. When I get more time off, I love to travel and want to visit as many countries as possible!

Alexandra Moniz

Alexandra worked as a Patient Access Representative in the Emergency Room at Cape Cod Hospital. Alexandra is going into her final semester this fall at the University of South Florida, where she is majoring in Biomedical Sciences and Nutrition.

• What brought you to Cape Cod Healthcare? Cape Cod Healthcare wanted to know me and help me grow as a person. I applied to multiple jobs for the summer, but Cape Cod Hospital was the only one who personally called me and answered any questions that I had about the position. This made me feel like I was wanted and appreciated. 
•  A day in the life: I typically worked the evening shift in the emergency room. I came in around 3 p.m. and started my night by saying hello to my fellow coworkers. Then I began to register patients waiting to receive care from physicians. It was always nice to get to know patients and try to make their stay here as smooth as possible. 
• Favorite parts: I had great coworkers who supported me through learning this position. It was also amazing to get to know the patients even at small scale. I enjoyed meeting people from different areas around the United States and even the world.
• Future healthcare plans: To pursue a career as a physician's assistant after graduation.
• Slice of summer: I enjoy going to the beach and ending the day with a great meal. I am a foodie at heart and love to enjoy time with those who mean the most to me. 

Caroline O'Connell

Caroline worked as an Urgent Care technician in Sandwich this summer. She is going into her senior year at Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she is studying biology and history. She is also a member of the women’s lacrosse and field hockey teams, and involved with the on-campus tutoring center and honors college. 

• Day in the life at Urgent Care: I started my day at 8 a.m. by placing new sheets on beds, restocking rooms with equipment like swabs, suture kits, gloves and wound care supplies. I helped clinicians throughout the day by triaging patients and getting patient histories. Some of my daily tasks included providing wound care, irrigating ears, swabbing for strep, Covid, RSV, Flu, and placing proper DME for orthopedic injuries. Throughout my shift, I helped nurses and providers. Further, I helped clean rooms in between patients and provided a warm and welcoming environment for all patients. At the end of the day, I stripped beds and ensured everything was ready for the next day!
• Favorite parts of the job: Interacting with patients and being a part of their treatment team. I was able to help answer questions about their treatment and walk them through standards of care to help treat their specific aliments. I also loved working with my fellow staff members who made my time at Sandwich Urgent Care a terrific experience! 
• Are you from the Cape? I am from Natick, Massachusetts, but I have been coming to the Cape every summer for the past 21 years. I reside in Cotuit during the summer, and enjoy going to Loop Beach and spending time with family. 
• Future plans: I hope to advance my career by becoming a Physician Assistant. CCHC has provided me with exceptional clinical experience that has prepared me for my future career.
• Perfect day off: Going for runs along the Canal or Cape Cod Rail Trail, spending time with my family on the water and going to local restaurants and coffee shops. My favorite coffee shop is Cape Cod Coffee, which I visited quite frequently! For a day trip with friends, I liked to visit Chatham and the Beachcomber for some shopping and a beach day! 

Anastasia O’Neil

Anastasia who worked at Hyannis Urgent Care this summer, is studying nuclear medicine technology with a concentration in healthcare administration management at Manhattan College in the Bronx, New York.

• Day in the Life: A normal day at Hyannis Urgent Care started at 8 a.m. Monday through Friday. I registered patients, provided them with accurate wait times and answered any questions. Other tasks included managing phone calls and interacting with clinical staff members. When my day ended at 6 p.m., I headed home proud of the care provided to patients throughout the day.
• Favorite parts of the job: Interacting with patients and providing them help and support. It truly put a smile on my face and made me so incredibly proud of our staff when I saw people leave with smiles on their faces.
• Future plans: After I complete my education at Manhattan College, I want to pursue a graduate degree in Nuclear Medicine Technology and complete my ultrasound and CT certifications to further myself in my medical imaging career. I hope to someday carry out outstanding patient care in relation to radiological imaging technology.
• Summer scoop: I am from Worcester, Massachusetts, and I live on Cape Cod full time in the summer months. When I am not working, I can be found at any local ice cream stand getting a vanilla scoop in a cone. I enjoy spending time with my family, going to the beach and taking long walks with my 3-year-old Australian shepherd, Barley.