Clinicians and Community Service

If you are a physician, or a nurse, or even a medical assistant, you know that you have special skill sets and experience. You have worked hard as a healthcare professional and improving lives through your day job and other commitments. Our society seems very appreciative of our nurses and physicians due to their service and commitment to healing people during illness and difficult times. The question is: Outside of your day job what can you do to serve the community in which you live?

Those of us who worked for a healthcare system may had the privilege to participate in activities like health screening, community-level lay educational talks, fundraising for indigent clinics, or providing clinical time in student-run clinics. These are meaningful activities for sure. When I was part of a large integrated care system, I was involved in many such activities, including some unique ones. Due to my involvement with the health plan, I was asked to walk with a group of laymen and discuss health topics, such as high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke. There was a sense of connectivity to a group of people living in a community, who seemed to be eager about learning. The format would be casual with open discussions and dialogues around a health topic as you get morning air and walk in a park.?I also participated in wellness “talks” in a nearby grocery chain; they were called “shopping for wellness”. ?I would stand behind a table with a few volunteers (nursing students, dietitian students) and a dietitian and would answer questions on such topics as reading labels, searching for sugar and salt alternatives in aisles and how to cook for a diabetic spouse. Some of these questions seemed very practical but I was often not ready to give good answers. I had to rely on the dietitian or a Google search to come up with reasonable answers. People were very pleased to see me in the middle of a grocery store and taking their questions on food choices and healthy living. It was real fun; I learned a lot about diets, health ingredients, and salt and sugar substitutes.

Now that I have a full-time job as a medical director for a health insurance company, I can only do clinical work on a voluntary basis. Every community has faith-based clinics where one can volunteer clinical time and do patient care. Hours can be flexible for volunteers; one can see patients (if you are a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant) during evening or weekend hours. The work is very satisfying. Many of these patients are very grateful to have timely access to care, sometimes with free medications and basic lab tests completed at the same site. I remember seeing many refugees from Afghanistan, undocumented patients from Mexico, and uninsured elderly immigrants from South Asia. The clinic may not be fully functional, you may not have access to advanced imaging and specialists, yet the basic primary care can be offered with some creativity and help from patients.

When I volunteer at these clinics, I often get the opportunity to work with medical and nursing students. Many high school students also volunteer at the front office and get their first exposure to healthcare, illness, and roles played by different members of a healthcare team. I often teach clinical medicine to medical or pharmacy students or write letters for them. For our learners, these clinics are great training sites, with patients often presenting with advanced illness. Furthermore, when I work in a community clinic (serving the indigent and uninsured), I am not as much worried for billing and coding, nor am I worried for time management. I can spend as much time I need because the environment is different and the demand for high-volume care is just not there. I challenge myself to manage a patient’s problems with limited resources, as I am constantly reminded of the cost of testing and diagnostic work-up.

How else can you serve your community being a clinician? I have seen doctors serving on the school board; some of us are trying to do volunteer work by partnering with local county or city governments. Some of these entities may look for physicians or nurses for conducting health fairs or sports physicals. Some city offices have committees, and they may seek volunteers with healthcare background. I also think you can consider volunteering for some non-clinical activities. Spending some hours as a volunteer at an elementary or middle school (of your child) could be quite fun and rejuvenating. ?

As a physician, I feel that that I am blessed and privileged with a set of special skills and experience and that I owe to my profession to serve my community and to volunteer my time, to the extent I can make time. This sort of work is very fulfilling; I often learn a lot about other people, their cultures, history of city and community in which I live, and above all, get an opportunity to serve the humanity.

What else are you doing to serve your community? Please share your thoughts and comments.

Happy reading!

Emran Rouf, MD