Through OU-HCOM’s medical clinics, students can learn and observe basic skills while helping patients.
When patients arrive in Grosvenor Hall’s medical clinic, the first person they could work with might be a medical student.
Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine students have the opportunity to observe and work hands-on with patients in clinics, including two mobile units and the Heritage Community Clinic, which is located on Grosvenor’s ground floor.
“As a first-year med student, you want to soak up as much as you can,” said Kwame Sarkodie, a first-year medical student. “You want to learn about the medications, diagnoses, lifestyle changes and anything that can be beneficial. We try to learn as much as we can, and this is a great place to do that.”
Any time students work with a patient, they are overseen by clinical staff, said Carole Merckle, assistant director of the Area Health Education Center and Community Health Programs.
“I think they can get a wealth of knowledge, and they can interact with different types of patients and personalities,” Merckle said. “I think they learn a lot about giving and helping the underserved.”
Clinics are primarily for adults ages 18 through 64, though sometimes they hold immunizations for children, Merckle said.
Some of the programs offered include free clinics for medical, breast and cervical cancers, dermatology, immunization and diabetes, Merckle said.
While time for each clinic varies depending on the program, the Heritage Community Clinic is typically open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last patients accepted at 3:30 p.m., Merckle said.
Sarkodie said he typically works in the clinics for about four to six hours, though he often stays as long as there are patients.
“My time is their time, so if we have extra patients, I will stick around because you don’t want to miss out on that learning opportunity,” he said. “The more exposure we get, the better we’re going to be at it. OU-HCOM does a great job of getting us that experience so early because some medical schools might not get you exposure until third or fourth year.”
The Heritage Community Clinic is free and is funded by private grants, local foundations, state government, individual donors and OU-HCOM, Merckle said.
“We don’t take copays, and we don’t ask for money,” she said.
Some clinic workers said the free aspect of the clinics and additional services, such as free food or products, allows them to provide health care to those who otherwise might not receive it.
“We do provide anything that we see as a need, and we try to fill that gap for our patients because we truly believe that everybody has a right to quality health care and education for prevention,” Merckle said.
In order to serve patients outside Athens, the medical professionals working in the clinics travel throughout the area in two 40-foot trucks, called the mobile units.
Mobile units travel to parts of Southeast Ohio to provide easier access to health care, said Kathy Trace, director of Area Health Education Center and Community Health Programs.
“I think because they are mobile, they can get out and meet specific needs that are not able to be met in certain communities for whatever reason, like the service might be there but people might not feel comfortable, or people might not have transportation,” Trace said.
Trace said helping even one person through the clinics could have an impact.
“If we go into an area and help one person, then we’ve helped that person, and that’s what we are there to do,” Trace said. “Because a lot of times when you look at health care outcomes, when you look at one person, you may have an enormous impact depending on what the problem was.”
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