The summer’s internship experience at the VA Biloxi has been a great experience that has really flown by. I have learned a lot and feel more educated overall in health care design. Before this internship I had very little knowledge of health care design. Over my stay at the VA I have learned that health care design is unique all on its own. Rules and regulations of health care facilities always changes and designers must accommodate to the building codes of the state, the health and safety regulations of the state, and the rules and regulations of the facility itself. Health care designers are responsible in remaining updated with all codes and regulations to ensure the safety and comfort of the patients, visitors, and staff. My internship at the VA has allowed me to experience the everyday jobs that the health care designers are faced.
The first few weeks I was at the VA I just spent time getting acquainted with the huge campus. When the furniture installers came to assemble the furniture I was to walk them to the locations and watch as they stage the installation process. As I watched the process of the men install the furniture I was able to be more knowledgeable of how the furniture was put together. After watching them I was able to help with some of the work orders that consisted of replacing panels or parts to keyboard trays. We also had several rep visits that I met and talked with. Meeting with reps was a good opportunity to stay updated with the latest products and to gain more knowledge of the products. A sculpture teacher I once had always repeated a saying to me, “Always know your materials”. To me that saying is so appropriate to the design field. It is important as a designer to always know your materials so that you may understand how the product works, where it works best, and how long it will last. When the designer is educated on the materials he/she may also educated the client and help create a more sustainable space.
preliminary finishes
In the middle weeks of the internship I was able to help pick out finishes and artwork for new spaces. For the new rehabilitation clinic I was in charge of picking out several different flooring types to be used throughout the building. After listening to the reps I was confident I could choose the appropriate flooring to use in the various areas. Because most of the flooring was going to be used for patient areas I had to find flooring that was more slip resistant and low light reflective. I also selected art and paint colors to be used for Polytrauma and Mental Health department. The art had to be simple, objective, and convey a positive message. Polytrauma and Mental Health areas must be paid close attention to when designing because it consists of patients who have mental instabilities or brain injuries, which means they can be easily upsetted by their environment. Bolder colors and abstract art are forbidden in these areas because it can cause a patient to get upset and potentially harming themselves or others.
Toward the end of my internship we became more involved with moves. As new spaces open departments get moved around. At the VA changes are constantly being made and moves are taking place every weekend. The interior designers work with a team of people to plan for departments to be moved into suitable spaces with appropriate furniture and equipment. I was able to attend the space planning meetings and walk throughs to get an idea of the codes and safety issues they must consider with their designs. Through the meetings and walk throughs I learned that the most important part of designing is good communication with the person occupying the space. The designer must understand how the space is used to be able to make it as functional as possible. Through my internship we encountered several space planning issues that couldn’t have been effectively resolved if there wasn’t good communication with the departments.
Exam room/office
Space planning at times can be very challenging for the VA especially when a small space is involved. A common issue that kept arising was that the rooms required desks, exam table, chairs, and all medical equipment in small room. The VA passed a regulation that when placing the exam tables there should be no feet to the door. The reasoning behind the rule is to give more privacy to patients during exams. With all exam tables having to be turned to have the feet face away from the door and data ports only being in certain areas of the room, options were very limited in arranging the furniture. The designers did the best at planning the room to be functional and visually satisfying, but in some cases windows were blocked just to adhere to the rule. The designers at the VA do the best possible to accompany to the needs of everyone and to adhere to all regulations, but because changes occur so regularly chances are the furniture will be moved around again.
The VA design team has taught me a lot about health care design and showed me real situations that occur. Seeing first hand issues that they are faced with and how they resolve them helps put things into perspective when pursuing my future in interior design. Health care design is truly unique and a design field all on its own. I feel that my experience at the VA was very educational and will help me in my future career.
No comments:
Post a Comment