Number
710
Name
An Operation Model for Free Student-run Clinic Emphasizing Early Education and Exposure to Latinx/Hispanic Patients
Date & Time
Sunday, June 7, 2026, 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Location Name
Oglethorpe Ballroom
Speakers
Authors
Jacob Cliett, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
Presentation Topic(s)
TBL/PBL
Description
PURPOSE
The Latinx/Hispanic population in the United States is a rapidly growing
demographic group that faces significant public health challenges, including
language barriers, limited provider cultural competency, socioeconomic
factors, and significant rates of heath comorbidities. We present a local
Augusta clinic that emphasizes early medical and allied health student
education while serving a Latinx/Hispanic patient population.
METHODS
The clinic’s operation model emphasizes direct patient interactions with an
uninsured and largely Spanish-speaking patient population for allied health
students, along with one-on-one partnerships with interpreters, residents,
and attendings to practice presentations, history-taking, and physical exam
skills. After a brief training session, health students first conduct the
patient visit themselves along with an interpreter. This gives students early
real-life exposure and practice to obtaining a general history, targeted
physical exam, medication reconciliation, and completing depression and
diabetes screening questionnaires. Students then present their findings to a
healthcare provider, and receive education on their patient presentation,
differential diagnosis, and treatment plan before seeing the patient with the
provider. Students then complete a detailed note of the encounter on the
clinic EMR with provider feedback.
RESULTS
From November 2022 to November 2023, the clinic saw approximately 350
patients, with an additional 90 patients seen at an annual health fair. This
included both in-person and telehealth visits. Over this time, over 420
allied health student volunteers participated in patient visits at the
clinic. During each three-month period, roughly 20 different providers
volunteered at the clinic, spanning across a vast range of specialties.
CONCLUSIONS
Free student-run clinic models such as the one described are excellent
opportunities for early clinical exposure and education in caring for
underserved communities such as the LatinX/Hispanic population. These
experiences prepare healthcare students for clerkship readiness, while also
expanding access to care in the community and creating more culturally
competent providers.
The Latinx/Hispanic population in the United States is a rapidly growing
demographic group that faces significant public health challenges, including
language barriers, limited provider cultural competency, socioeconomic
factors, and significant rates of heath comorbidities. We present a local
Augusta clinic that emphasizes early medical and allied health student
education while serving a Latinx/Hispanic patient population.
METHODS
The clinic’s operation model emphasizes direct patient interactions with an
uninsured and largely Spanish-speaking patient population for allied health
students, along with one-on-one partnerships with interpreters, residents,
and attendings to practice presentations, history-taking, and physical exam
skills. After a brief training session, health students first conduct the
patient visit themselves along with an interpreter. This gives students early
real-life exposure and practice to obtaining a general history, targeted
physical exam, medication reconciliation, and completing depression and
diabetes screening questionnaires. Students then present their findings to a
healthcare provider, and receive education on their patient presentation,
differential diagnosis, and treatment plan before seeing the patient with the
provider. Students then complete a detailed note of the encounter on the
clinic EMR with provider feedback.
RESULTS
From November 2022 to November 2023, the clinic saw approximately 350
patients, with an additional 90 patients seen at an annual health fair. This
included both in-person and telehealth visits. Over this time, over 420
allied health student volunteers participated in patient visits at the
clinic. During each three-month period, roughly 20 different providers
volunteered at the clinic, spanning across a vast range of specialties.
CONCLUSIONS
Free student-run clinic models such as the one described are excellent
opportunities for early clinical exposure and education in caring for
underserved communities such as the LatinX/Hispanic population. These
experiences prepare healthcare students for clerkship readiness, while also
expanding access to care in the community and creating more culturally
competent providers.
Presentation Tag(s)
Student Presentation