Medical Students Learn Patient Care Through Community Events
Rocky Vista University Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVU-MCOM) medical students hosted an evening of learning and fun on Oct. 5, offering interactive health-science activities for members of a Billings nonprofit.
This is the third year that the RVU-MCOM chapter of the American Osteopathic College of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AOCPMR) has invited members of local nonprofit, Eagle Mount Billings, to the Montana campus for the event.
Community is a vital part of RVU-MCOM’s approach to medical education, exposing students to potential patients they may care for as future physicians. The school encourages students to volunteer at least 10 hours per semester and even integrates community engagement and belonging into the student experience starting day one of orientation.
Community Connections
The AOCPMR club collaborates with Eagle Mount and their “Out and About” program, which partners with various Billings organizations that give members opportunities to engage in activities and foster social interaction. Eagle Mount works to create adaptive recreational opportunities for youth and adults with disabilities as well as veterans and older adults, said Eagle Mount Executive Director Samie Drange.
“The volunteers are just the heart of Eagle Mount,” Drange said. “We couldn’t do it without all the volunteers.”
Many AOCPMR club students already volunteer with Eagle Mount regularly, which has allowed students to establish meaningful relationships with members, said AOCPMR club President and second-year RVU-MCOM student Kayla Conrad.
Conrad noted that events like the one at RVU help students engage with the different types of patients that they may care for as future physicians.
Physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians work with patients with varying levels of physical abilities, helping improve a patient’s quality of life with orthotics and prosthetics or through treatments like physical therapy, occupational therapy, and others, Conrad said.
“It was a club goal we decided this year that we wanted to get club members involved in more concrete volunteering opportunities,” Conrad said. “It’s crucial for future physicians to know their community in order to better serve them, and to be able to give back to the community that is so supportive of us as students.”
A Learning Experience
Participants rotated through five stations, each providing hands-on activities that focus on medicine and science. In one station, RVU students taught participants about skeletal anatomy using models of human bones. Another station allowed participants to trace the outline of their bodies on paper and then draw the location of various organs. The event also featured science experiments, like placing Mentos mints in a bottle of soda, as well as coloring stations and outdoor games.
Calli Bangs, lead Eagle Mount staff member for the “Out and About” program, said that partnering with RVU exposes Eagle Mount members to the field of medicine. Members in high school are interested in exploring career opportunities and other interests, she said.
“Seeing that glimpse into what an average day looks like or hearing directly from students about what they’re doing and what the possibilities are with their role, gives them great ideas and is always a great achievement to work towards as well,” Bangs said.
The event also helps build a positive relationship between members and healthcare workers, Bangs said.
“The doctor can be kind of scary for some of our participants,” Bangs said. “Any kind of relationship that we can build that’s positive — even starting the conversation about medical-based things like the anatomy and physiology of the bones, drawing the body — is some form of therapeutic intervention.”
Eagle Mount member, Allison Heyneman, said she enjoys interacting with RVU medical students. She attended the event last year and has spent time with students during other Eagle Mount-led activities, like rock climbing.
“They’re good people,” she said.
RVU’s Commitment to Community
RVU students serve in a variety of ways throughout their medical school journey. Student governments from osteopathic schools across the country volunteer each year to raise funds for charity during National Osteopathic Week on a day called DO Day of Service in April. This year, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine Colorado hosted a medical field day for over 100 third-grade students.
Both RVU-MCOM and Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine Utah hosted free skin cancer screening clinics for members of the Billings and St. George communities in April.
To learn more about how RVU students give back, visit the Peak News & Stories page on the RVU website.