As an immersion, I tried to role-play what many patients without a personal vehicle do- hitch a ride or borrow a car. This immersion took place on 3/6/17, anytime between Monday from 2:30-5:00PM. My classes ended at 2:30 and the doctor offices closed at 5:00, so this was the only available window I had on this day.
I had tried to arrange for a ride on the previous Friday, three days in advance of the given date I had expected to go to the hospital. I asked a couple close friends, who were more than willing to give me a ride, but there were either conflicting schedules with their classes or I did not have a guaranteed ride back.
I asked three other people who owned a car if I could borrow it and was finally able to secure a ride after asking a total of five people. As each person said their sincere apologies and explained their conflict schedule, I was able to empathize with those who face these challenges everyday. It felt very frustrating and confining. After I was told I could borrow my friend’s car that afternoon to go to the hospital, a great sense of relief came over me.
At 2:00PM, I was sent out to search up and down the vast rows of D Bulla for a car I had never seen before. It took a good while before I found that faded blue Ford Focus. From Notre Dame to SJHS Mishawaka Medical Center, it took about 15 minutes and was a total of 3.3 miles. The patients I interviewed both had mentioned that they also live a 20 min driving distance away from the hospital. By the time I had parked and walked through the entrance, it was approaching 3:00PM.
From the worries of navigating the car in the parking lot to the frustration and pressure of the time limit I had, I felt disorganized upon entering the hospital. I conducted my interviews and quickly headed back, as I was under a time constraint to get the car back to my friend by 5:00PM sharp.
The purpose of this immersion was to put myself in the shoes of a patient who had no car and relied on those in her social sphere who would take her from point A to point B. This would be incredibly difficult and tiresome to do over a longer period of time and with children.