KAREN: When did that start? When you started, did you start doing that?

JESSIE: No, I didn't do that much when I first started. But we were taught to do a lot of Patient Ed, which helps a lot now. But, they do like, they come and bring some of their kids in, they fell and they cut their knee or they cut their hand. “Well did you clean it out to see if, maybe you thought it might need stitching?” “Well, that's your job.”  “No, our job is to take care of it if it looks like it does. But you should be able to do this. Like clean it out. Take a look at it.” But, some people that see blood, they just panic. But they're learning.  It took our people a long time to learn to make appointments to be seen. 

I remember when it first started. We were under a lot of flack, because we'd just take them as they come in. Then we started teaching them to make appointments.  Now they're not seen unless they have an appointment.

KAREN: Unless it's an emergency?

JESSIE: Hm, mm. Emergencies, they'll bring them in.  Usually they have an on-call person that will see them, or if there's one of the health aides.  I don't know if I should say health aides. Daphne seems to be the only health aide in Angoon. They have two new ones that are just starting and I hope they hang in there.

KAREN: Have any of the new ones, or people who want to do it, have they come to talk to you for advice?

JESSIE: A lot of the ones that just started used to. But I,m not there that much anymore. I only work as needed.

KAREN: So, you are not really retired?

JESSIE: Everyone, you know -- I kind of get tired of it, too. “I thought you retired,” they'd say when they'd see me in the clinic. “I thought I did, too,” I'd say. Do you know how long I stayed retired? About two weeks. And then they called me, “Could you help?”

And Daphne's a real good friend of mine. She was in a fix. She was practically pulling her hair out. The other health aide that was -- quit not too long after I retired.

And the PA (Physician Assistant) had to go away on training, I believe. So they asked, “Would you be able to come back? You know, as an intermittent. You wouldn't have to go on-call.” “Okay, I'll do it if I don't have to go on call.” 

But then my CHP (Community Health Practitioner) recertification ran out. Now I just work as what's called Medical Assistant. I can do IV's, EKG's (electrocardiogram), immunizations, all the vitals. I work whenever the doctor comes into town. But I can't see patients anymore. I kind of miss that.

KAREN: You chose not to keep your certification current?

JESSIE: I didn't choose to. It just kind of happened, I think. I believe I could, you know, but I don't have the money to -- it costs quite a bit of money to get licensed, I mean certified as a state certified CHP. Afterwards, I was thinking, I should've kept it up. I should of did it one more year.

KAREN: So to keep it up, you have to keep taking classes to keep --?

JESSIE: Yeah, to get a certain amount of Continuing Ed (education), they call it, and some clinical hours. Geez, I forget what else. I didn't keep up my --

KAREN: The cost you're talking about is to pay for the license?

JESSIE: The license.

KAREN: Oh, you have to pay for it?

JESSIE: Yes, I hear it costs quite a bit. SEARHC (Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium) used to take care of that while we were working.

KAREN: That is what I was wondering, if you are a new health aide who gets hired and you go through all that training, SEARHC will pay for all that and pay for your certification?

JESSIE: In a way I kind of feel bad for them, you know, like when they hire a new health aide and they put them through all that. All that money that goes into the training.  And then when they resign.  I think they should make them sign an agreement or something saying they'll work at least two years.