Addressing a community need

一家位于庞蒂亚克的妇科诊所于2021年初开业，由OUWB的学生经营，已经成为一些社区成员的首选.

学生免费诊所(SRFC)妇科诊所之夜是由同一组织提供的新产品，该组织一直在提供SRFC家庭医学诊所之夜 last five years.

庞蒂亚克的加里·伯恩斯坦社区健康诊所(Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic)也每月提供一次这两种服务.

联合董事是Sarah Provencher和Tiffany Loh，两人都是OUWB的二年级医学生.

“One, 我们想要解决社区的需求，并认为除了家庭医学诊所之外，还有一个独立的妇科诊所会让很多病人受益,” says Provencher. “我们想做的另一件事是增加医学生的学习机会和临床经验.”

Since opening in April, 患者和学生都不断地利用新产品来满足这两个目标.

“妇科诊所在我们的系统中运作良好，因为伯恩斯坦诊所肯定有很多病人需要妇科服务,” says Loh. “We’ve seen a lot of interest.”

Actively leading in the community

每月第三个星期二为妇科诊所之夜. Appointments are required for patients.

Through the clinic, 病人可以获得广泛的妇科服务, including annual exams, pap smears, pregnancy tests, urinalysis, bloodwork, punch biopsies, and contraceptives.

“我们也有超声波，这样病人就可以来确认怀孕了, and we’ve had a number of patients do that,” says Provencher. “实际上，我们第一次用超声波给一位病人看她的孩子, 这对病人和相关的检查小组成员来说都是非常令人兴奋的.”

Like the SRFC Family Medicine Clinic, SRFC妇科诊所依靠志愿医生作为参与学生的顾问. Patricia Franz, M.D., assistant professor, and Kurt Wharton, M.D., professor — both from OUWB’s Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology —currently serve as the clinic’s attendings. Residents from Beaumont also volunteer.  

沃顿表示，像SRFC妇科诊所这样的经历对帮助学生理解致力于社区服务的重要性有很大帮助.

“As physicians, 他们将在社区健康方面发挥积极的领导作用，他们在以后的职业生涯中所做的大部分工作不仅仅是直接照顾病人,” says Wharton. “他们需要这些经验来提供有根据的答案.”

Any OUWB student can volunteer at the clinic.

Making the most of the opportunity

每次诊所最多接待8名病人.

Justin Brox, M.D., CEO and executive director, Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic, 他说，有充分的理由说明，空闲的预约很快就会被填满.

他说:“这是一件很多人都拖着不做的事情。. “在晚上有更多的可用性确实促进了社区能够获得他们需要的护理.”

布罗克斯说，患者“非常愿意”接受SRFC妇科诊所的服务. 他说，让公开商学院的学生参与进来很有帮助，因为他们“非常彻底”.”

“病人觉得他们可以提出所有不同的问题，”他说. “而在正常的实践中，你不一定有时间谈论所有这些不同的问题，病人感到压力(所以他们不会)提出他们可能有的所有问题。.”

Students also say they get a lot of the experience.

Amelia Najor, M3, worked at the clinic in October. 她说，她在寻找更多的临床经验，并希望帮助一个服务不足的社区.

“Many people are afraid to go to the doctor and for some, going to the hospital can be really scary right now,” she says. “但有些人没有奢侈的时间(推迟解决)他们的健康问题……他们能来这里很好，这样我们就可以帮助他们解决他们的需要。.”

Dahlia Rahmon, M3, also volunteered in October. She says she’s really interested in women’s health, 并且热衷于“弥合护理方面的任何差距，并努力增加患者获得治疗的机会。.”

“我想为社区服务，更多地了解他们面临的挑战，”她说.

Jonathan Raskin, M2, also recently volunteered. He volunteered in 2020 at the Family Medicine Clinic, calls it a “great experience,” and says that he wanted more.

“You get to see patients, talk with M3s and M4s, 和医生交谈，这是一个很好的学习经历,” he says. “另外，我想学习尽可能多的医学领域.”

Loh说，正是这种反馈表明SRFC妇科诊所之夜是值得努力的.

“学生们事后来找我们，告诉我们他们的经历非常棒，”她说. “有机会看到其他学生从这里获得了多少，这真的让我很高兴，并告诉我这是值得的.”

Provencher says patient feedback is another big indicator.

“对我来说，值得的是看到病人在就诊结束时的感激之情,” she says. “尤其是当他们来的时候，一开始对健康问题非常紧张，然后到了最后, feel like it was thoroughly addressed, they were well-cared for, and made to feel like they are very important.”