Meet the West Health Accelerator Team: Rachel Frances, PA-C

‍Rachel Frances is a physician assistant on the inpatient orthopedic service at Faulkner Hospital and is part of the West Health Champions program.

Q&A

Why do you love caring for older adults?

I love caring for older adults because I think we have so much to learn from them, not only regarding their medical history and how to care for them in the hospital, but also their life lessons. They just have so much more experience, and I think that they always have something to teach us.

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What is one skill or insight you’ve gained through the Champions program?

I’ve learned how passionate other people are about geriatric medicine. I thought maybe it was only my interest, so to get together with this group of people and realize that other people share that passion and care about older people in the hospital and catering to their needs has been really inspiring.

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Looking ahead to the rest of the year, what is one change—big or small—you’re motivated to lead or advocate for?

I think, really focusing on what matters for older patients, you know, asking them about their expectations, their goals, and the things that are important to them to help shape how we provide them care. I think that goes a long way for our older population.

Can you share a moment when an older adult expressed gratitude or feedback that really resonated with you?

We work with a lot of older patients on our orthopedic service, and one that stands out was a patient who really thanked me for just listening. Because I think a lot of times people want to rush through the process. And older patients sometimes tend to expand on their stories or their answers, which can be time consuming.  But I find that oftentimes just listening to them will give you more information and make the patient feel appreciative that you took the time to really listen to what they had to say.