For a year now, Vicky Mah and Jillian Walsh, both second-year medical students at the University of Calgary, have been volunteering their time running the student-run medical clinic at the Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre in the city’s downtown core. The student administrators — who also head the program’s executive team — are tasked with assessing patients, triaging them, and then sending them to be seen by a group of first-year university students. “We also take care of a lot of paperwork,” adds Mah with a laugh.

The medical clinic at the DI, as it is otherwise known, is one of the organization’s many offerings dedicated to meeting the needs of the homeless and at-risk. Started two years ago by the University, under the guidance of its medical director Dr. Janette Hurley, the clinic provides primary care services to its largely underserved client population.

Win-win

Bringing students into the mix has proven an intuitively strategic decision, with benefits for both volunteers and the DI. For one, the program fosters student-physician mentor relationships (mentored by Hurley), while providing clinical experience. “It was a way to let students have a role to play in healthcare,” explains Walsh. “I personally was looking to gain clinical experience and to learn about healthcare economics,” she says, adding the DI was a real eye-opener.

What’s more, while the average medical student gains experience in teaching hospitals, boasting all the latest technologies and fancy equipment, these volunteers work firsthand with patients in marginalized groups, providing them with a different perspective, and a valuable one at that. “The population here is underserved; they face different barriers to healthcare access,” echoes Mah. “We provide a service to them in a way that’s convenient.”

Always dedicated to helping the less fortunate, Wah did some earlier volunteer work with the DI before joining the medical clinic. She’s set on working with this population in the future and credits the behind-the-scenes experience of running a clinic with giving her a real professional leg-up.

As for the DI, collaborating with the University allowed them to run an essential program and acquire knowledgeable, committed volunteers to operate it. “We saw a need but we didn’t have the capacity,” explains Jordan Hamilton, DI’s manager of external relations. “Student volunteers made sense.” In fact, he adds, the medical clinic is not the only DI program that makes good use of the student population. Some are completing practicums in a career training initiative, while others are engaged in various projects as part of their communication studies.

The Canadian Cancer Society‘s Georgetown Dufferin Peel Unit is making good use of their students too. Thanks to an affiliation with the University of Waterloo’s co-op program, every few months the organization is joined by a group of third-semester student volunteers, most in finance, accounting or leadership programs, looking for a place to gain new skills and put their studies to the practical test.

For four months, the organization offers placements to as few as five and as many as ten students, each mentored by a staff member, whether in fundraising, accounting and finance, volunteer engagement or transportation. The nonprofit also has a relationship with Sheridan College‘s Social Service Worker program which offers a three-day-a week placement for two students for eight months.

As far as finding the right fit, manager Barry Edington explains that, though they interview candidates and pick their top ten, it’s up to the students to make the final selection on which co-op opportunity to pursue. But even if they give up some power in the process, “at least we know that when they arrive, they’ve all chosen to be with us.”

Smooth sailing

Having run the student programs for more than eight years now, the organization certainly seems to have things under control, with all staff trained in their additional responsibilities related to the student volunteer program. And despite the surplus work needed to keep all the balls in the air, the benefits are self-evident. “The students bring a phenomenal energy, enthusiasm and intelligence,” Edington says. “And they have computer savvy that just makes us all a little dizzy.”

Plus, it helps the Society stay current in how they relate to the youthful demographic. “Our outreach to them is important because we want to make sure young people are aware of prevention approaches to avoid cancer.” And having youth as emissaries who can spread the word on screening to their friends and families is a major bonus.

Staying grounded

But that doesn’t mean the placements don’t come with their own challenges. “We do have to orient a new grouping of students every four months and that takes time,” explains Edington. But then offers the bright side: “It helps us each get re-grounded on how we do our business and what our best practices are so it’s repetitive but useful for us to go through.”

When asked whether the students, in some ways, make their tasks more difficult, Edington is clear: “I don’t think it makes our jobs harder, it makes us feel that our job is having even more impact, reaching the student and then getting out the message,” he says. “And our sensitivity gets transferred down the line.”

Similar challenges technically face the DI. Because the University of Calgary offers a unique medical program of only three years in length, the administrative and clinical positions turn over once a year. More specifically, since the upcoming year is an intense one for Mah and Walsh, providing little consistency in their workload, a continued commitment is difficult. Losing dedicated volunteers is certainly not easy, but as Hamilton explains, “the program is completely oversubscribed so there’s not really much of a choice in the matter. “We have 60 students interested in this program this year and we only have room for 20.”

As for the additional paperwork and training the constant turnover may create, it seems just par for the highly regarded course the collaboration between DI and the University has carved for itself. And if you ever questioned whether students are worth any potential administrative headaches, Hamilton advises you to walk through their doors. “When someone who works here comes into the DI, they’re seen as someone with a paycheque,” explains Hamilton. “But when volunteers walk in, they see someone who legitimately cares.” Clients are also encouraged to model student volunteer behavior which has a powerful impact.

But remember…

To make the student placements work effectively, however, one of the bigger lessons learned for Hamilton and the DI staff is the need to let go. “We take on a lot of responsibility and have to realize they’re talented and that’s why we brought them here.”

The student administrators received some lessons of their own. Aside from learning the intricate challenges of working with a population that sometimes requires a lot of follow-through, they both had to face the reality of running a clinic while being full-time students. A plan to start a psych clinic in the middle of the day, for example, was let go when they realized getting students to the clinic at that hour was nearly impossible. “For organizations working with students, it’s important to remember our schedules are complicated and things shift around a lot,” offers Walsh. It wasn’t a problem for Hamilton. “We appreciate their support, whenever and however we get it,” he says.

In fact, organizations contemplating bringing students into their office as part of formalized plans, need to face a number of realities, says Karen Benzinger, Director of the Centre for Career Education at the University of Windsor. She oversees the Volunteer Internship Program that places 350 interns a year with a range of nonprofits for a 40-hour internship each semester. “It’s an experiential learning program with a career development spin,” she offers, adding the program, running for more than 20 years now, helps students gain skills, build networks, get exposure to community service and, ultimately, affirm their career paths.

“It’s important for organizations to be prepared to welcome students in,” Benzinger says, explaining her centre provides each nonprofit with an employer’s handbook filled with tips and best practices. “Students need to be made part of the team and made to understand how their work fits into the bigger picture of the organization.” Good communication is essential, as is ensuring point of contacts are available for discussions and questions.

Citing the many positive testimonials from those who’ve gone through the program, challenges aside, Benzinger is a fan. She reiterates how, if done properly, organizations and students can co-create with great impact. Hamilton agrees. So much so, he’s made it his priority to “open our arms as wide as possible for volunteers,” he offers. “We feel it’s our responsibility to remove any barriers from people’s meaningful participation.”

Elisa Birnbaum is a freelance journalist, producer and communications consultant living in Toronto. She is also president of Elle Communications and can be reached at: info@ellecommunications.ca.

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