University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Golden Eagle Alumni in Healthcare Spotlight: Alex Kitchen
5/11/2020 2:04:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Kitchen, a native of Palm Harbor, Florida, was a three-time All-Conference USA honoree and was an ITA All-American her junior season. Her 79 career wins are the most in program history and her 27 wins as a junior is the most recorded by a Golden Eagle in a single season.
When did you realize you wanted to enter the healthcare field?
"As a Speech-Language Pathologist, I can work in various settings (ie: schools, hospitals, Skilled Nursing Facilities, etc.). I knew I wanted to work in a healthcare setting when I was in grad school and did my final internship at a Skilled Nursing Facility. I absolutely love working with the geriatric population."
How has the pandemic changed, if at all, your daily routines?
"Because of the pandemic, I have to conduct all my therapy sessions in my patient's rooms while wearing PPE. This makes it very difficult because of my patients with hearing impairment who rely on reading my lips, have great difficulty hearing my instructions while I'm wearing a face mask. I also work with a lot of patients in regards to their swallowing abilities, and it is very difficult to demonstrate oral motor exercises while wearing a face mask. I also work with a lot of patients in our facility's isolation unit due to the recent return from the hospital or showing signs and symptoms of COVID-19. When working with these patients I have to wear full PPE (gown, mask, shield, gloves). This can be very intimidating for our patients with Dementia who present severe cognitive deficits and are unable to understand what is happening."
How often have you been able to come back to Hattiesburg for matches, games, etc?
"I try to come back as much as possible. I would say about every few months. I still have a lot of friends in the area and plus I'm still a die-hard Golden Eagle."
What is some advice you would give to people handling the matter at this time?
"My suggestion for people would be to continue staying home as much as possible. If you have to go out wear face masks and refrain from touching your face."
For those not familiar with your work position/title, how would you best summarize your profession?
"As a Speech-Language Pathologist in a Skilled Nursing Facility (nursing home), I work with the adult/geriatric population. I mostly work with stroke victims who have lost their language or have speech impairments, individuals suffering from swallowing deficits, and individuals with cognitive deficits targeting memory/problem solving."
