“Sometimes the books get heavy, like really really heavy and you need a little reminder why. The Free Clinic reminds me why I chose a life in medicine every single week. Through volunteering I have been able to appreciate the importance of collaboration within the medical field. I have worked with an incredible team of doctors, nurses, other medical students, social workers, pharmacy students and have learned so much from each and every one of them. At the same time, I have been given the independence to learn on my own, practice taking histories, performing physical exams, ordering labs, formulating differential diagnoses and making plans for each of my patients.
 
Volunteering at The Free Clinic has impacted me in more ways that I could have imagined. Every Wednesday I learn something new, not only about medicine, but about people. The Free Clinic has given me the opportunity to take care of everyone, regardless of socioeconomic background, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation. I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to help members of the community who otherwise would not have access to health care, while learning the things you most definitely cannot get out of lectures and textbooks. On top of being able to get hands on practice, volunteering at The Free Clinic has allowed me to practice speaking Spanish and learn new medical terms, which my Cuban father is ever grateful for. I will carry everything that I have learned over the last two years with me as I begin my third year clerkships in Amarillo this coming July and will most definitely be back for a few Wednesday nights at The Free Clinic!
 
I want to be a physician because I want to provide the care, knowledge and support to help people become the happiest and healthiest versions of themselves.”
 
Avery Bramnik, a second-year medical student, is from Dallas, Texas. She grew up in Miami, Florida and graduated from the University of Florida in nutritional sciences.