American Medical Student Association

Into the Community

Primary Care Mixers

• Breakfast with the President: A discussion with the school president regarding your role in providing health care to the community
  • Invite Pre-Medical and Medical Students, Residents and Physicians from the community
    • Discuss how health care reform has already impacted them & thoughts for the future
    • Discuss interesting cases in the primary care practice
    • Discuss PC education with current students
    • Discuss the various settings of PC Practice: private, group, hospitals, international settings, community health centers, urban, rural, etc.

Lectures/Workshops

• Community versus academic medicine
• Find speakers that advocate on behalf of the many minority groups that have special health needs, i.e. the deaf community, persons with disabilities, etc.
  • Find out what groups face health disparities in your community and raise awareness
• Observe health care team members’ work first-hand
  • Identify courses or meetings held by health professionals in the community on primary care issues like nutrition, breastfeeding, diabetes, and so forth – set up opportunities for students to attend
• Organize a forum. Have the students and/or professionals act as members of a special committee designated to brainstorm solutions for reducing financial burdens and Emergency Department overcrowding. Give all students a handout to familiarize them with the descriptive data.
  • Focus on utilizing the time to resolve the problem rather than reiterate it.

Grassroots

• Blood Drive or Bone Marrow Drive (through the Red Cross) 
• Habitat for Humanity Activity 
• Community / Social Advocacy 
• Collections drive for homeless shelter and women's shelter
• Serving dinner at a homeless shelter
• Book Drive to promote literacy and cell phone drive for victims of domestic violence
• “Experience Science with K-12 grade students” in local schools
• Partner with senior groups at a local church, non-profit, senior living community or senior day care to do a Nutrition and Health program. Some ideas for program themes include:
  • Food as Medicine (shopping for, and creating menus for eating healthy)
  • Keep it Moving sessions (Connect seniors with ways for them to keep active adapted to their mobility)
  • SIT AND BE FIT is committed to improving the quality of life of older adults and physically limited individuals through safe, effective exercises that are available through television, videos, personal appearances, classes, seminars, books, and the Internet. SIT AND BE FIT actively promotes functional fitness, healing, and independence, and is an effective resource for professionals in aging and fitness.
  • SilverSneakers offers an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programming that allows older adults to take greater control of their health.
  • Building a Relationship with Your PCP session – talk with seniors about what questions to ask their PCPs and maybe do some doctor visit role playing).
    • Talking with Your Doctor: Planning Your Doctor Visit
• Partner with an adult literacy, GED or low-income-family service program in your local area to:
  • Host a Nutrition and Health Literacy themed information session.
    • Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.
      – Healthy People 2010, Health Communication Terminology
  • Conduct a Building a Relationship with Your PCP session – talk with adult caregivers and parents about what questions to ask their family’s PCPs and maybe do some doctor visit role playing).
    • A guide to “Caring for your parents: At the doctors” info guide
    • How the Doctor's Office Functions
• Most schools allow students an opportunity to spend a few hours a week observing in the ER. Utilize this time to assist the triage nurse in classifying the urgency of the patients' complaints. Try to make contacts with local public health clinics where patients requiring non-urgent care can receive quality treatment without long waits. It will be necessary to make appointments for the patients and possibly to arrange transportation for them.