Volunteering at the San Antonio Refugee Clinic

A few of the first-year graduate students spend their Wednesday evenings volunteering at the San Antonio Refugee Clinic (SARHC) through the Institute for Health Care Improvement (IHI).  SARHC is a student-run clinic with faculty from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. It is a cooperative effort between nursing, dental, and medical students with the help of several volunteers. Not only is SARHC an acute care clinic with the primary goal of serving the needs of about 5,000 immigrant refugees living in the San Antonio area, it also operates as a teaching clinic where students can observe and learn as they help patients.

 
First-year students, Dolapo and Beatrice

 
So where do we as health care administrators fit in? The first-year students are working to streamline the flow of patients in and out of the clinic. Currently, they are collecting data and timing how long it takes for patients to be triaged by the nurses, be seen by the students and attending physicians, and get their medication and be discharged. After all the data has been collected, these students will work with the clinic to eliminate any existing bottlenecks and provide ideas for a more efficient flow.

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