Vaccine appointments with Josué are often just the beginning for a patient’s journey with Venice Family Clinic.
As patient services representative, it’s Josué Caballero’s job to check patients in at the vaccine clinic and handle other administrative needs. But boss Kristina Nava says Caballero goes “above and beyond” for his patients.
“Vaccines are often somebody’s first entry point to becoming a patient at the Clinic,” Nava explains. Frequently, that’s thanks to Caballero’s commitment to going the extra mile: when a patient comes in, he takes the time to get to know them and makes sure they are aware of other Venice Family Clinic services that could benefit them. It’s an expertise he’s developed in just three years of working with the Clinic—a super-charged skillset considering his current position is his first job in health care.
But Caballero has some extra motivation. He says he especially connects with his work because of his own life experience immigrating to the U.S. from El Salvador. At the time, he found the vaccine requirements for immigration applications difficult to navigate.
“Missing one little detail can delay an immigration appointment a year,” Caballero says. “I want to help make the process as smooth as possible so that doesn’t happen, and families can move forward in their lives.”
When Caballero was new to the country, language was a barrier to becoming established in the U.S. He finds it rewarding to be able to speak Spanish with his patients as they are learning English and becoming acclimated to American life. It gives them confidence, and he’s discovered it also makes them more open to listening to recommendations.
Caballero is not immune to the national conversations around his work – specifically, hostile attitudes to both immigrants and vaccines. But he believes it’s his job to greet patients with a smile, projecting confidence and helpfulness.
“I try not to let it affect me,” Caballero says. “At the end of the day, my priority is to do the best I can to help all the people I can.”