Under the supervision of the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Program Director Sharon Simon, DNP, and FNP Assistant Professor Martha Vesterlund, DNP, 10 FNP students volunteered at the Remote Area Medical (RAM) free pop-up clinic in Luray, Virginia on July 9. By the end of the day, volunteers had worked together to see 145 patients and provide more than $77,000 worth of services. (The Shenandoah group is pictured above.)
RAM’s mission is to “prevent pain and alleviate suffering by providing free, quality health care to those in need.” It offers free medical, dental and vision care to underserved and uninsured individuals in the U.S. and abroad.
When asked about their experience at the RAM event, some Shenandoah students replied:
“I loved the RAM experience. It was so great to bond with our faculty and cohort while serving the RAM community. “
“RAM was a good team building experience because I had the opportunity to work in person with some of my classmates. After spending all this time in a remote environment, it was great to meet fellow FNP students and professors in person, and share our experiences and goals.”
“I believe it was an enriching experience for the students and the patients.”
And, in other news:
Family Nurse Practitioner student Yesenia Nunez (Dec. ’22), is a returning scholar of the United Health Foundation Diverse Scholars Initiative’s Latino Health Scholars Program. She was a scholarship recipient in 2020 and 2021, and is in the final year of her program. The United Health Foundation Diverse Scholars Initiative’s Latino Health Scholars Program works to create a more relevant health work force, particularly in underserved communities, by increasing the number of primary care health providers ready to deliver personalized, culturally competent care. The Diverse Scholars Initiative invests in the 21st-century health work force by providing multi-year financial support, internship and mentor programs and annual scholar forums in Washington, D.C.
