Making a Difference: The Free Clinic Extraordinary Volunteers
I volunteer at The Free Clinic because I really value helping underserved patient
populations and contributing where there is a need. Also, wanting to be a doctor and
see patients, I felt that The Free Clinic was great for getting experience in the
field that I wanted to go into. I always loved shadowing even before medical school,
but The Free Clinic is like a step-up from shadowing. I also like the teaching aspect
of the clinic, because I am in a position to mentor students. Overall, I feel it has
given me, from the beginning of medical school, a taste of what residency is going
to be like.
Nothing can beat the time when I was able to diagnose a problem and had to send a
patient directly to the emergency room. If the team had not diagnosed the person,
I honestly believe that person could have died shortly thereafter. This first experience
of putting my medical training to such good use will stay with me.
I have learned how to practice medicine at The Free Clinic. I haven't had any other
experience that has given me the freedom to figure out patient care and not just following
instructions. The experience has given me confidence that I can be a practicing physician.
Abigail Buckholz, is a fourth-year medical student from Carlsbad, New Mexico. She earned her Bachelor of Science in biological sciences: neuroscience, and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, with minors in music and chemistry. She plans to compete a double residency in psychiatry and internal medicine or family medicine.
Related Stories
TTUHSC’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Hosts Student Research Week
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences hosted its 34th Annual Student Research Week March 8-11.
TTUHSC Researcher Receives NIH Grant to Study Vulnerabilities in Specific Cancer Types
The National Cancer Institute awarded a five-year, $1.9 million grant to C. Patrick Reynolds, M.D., Ph.D., director for the School of Medicine Cancer Center at TTUHSC.
The Hype Around Artificial Intelligence
Richard Greenhill, DHA, FISQua, FACHE, discusses the hype and reality surrounding AI in healthcare.
Recent Stories
TTUHSC Announces the Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health
The school, which is the sixth at the university, aims to train future health care leaders in population and public health.
TTUHSC Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy Class of 2022 Honored at Commencement Ceremony
The TTUHSC Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy celebrated the Class of 2022 May 21 with its annual commencement ceremony.
Living with Dysphagia
Dysphagia is a swallowing disorder that affects a person’s ability to eat or drink, affecting between 300,000 and 700,000 people in the United States each year.