Volunteering is a great way to learn more about what kind of work interests you and to gain useful experience for a future career. MKHC works with many volunteers who are planning to pursue a medical degree and want hands-on experience in a clinical setting.
For Jayna, a second year post-baccalaureate fellow at NIH, volunteering at MKHC has provided an opportunity to gain that insight and to give back to the community. Jayna provides essential care coordination to help uninsured women schedule and attend mammograms. She maintains a list of patients over 40 years old and generates reports and data on who is due for the screening, then helps make reminder calls to patients and schedules appointments for them through our partnership with Adventist Healthcare Shady Grove Medical Center. For eligible patients, she also arranges for transportation subsidies through the Wheels for Women program operated by the Brem Foundation.
MKHC’s annual target is for 69% of eligible patients to receive a mammogram. With help from volunteers like Jayna, we’re on track to hit that target for another year in a row! Read more about her volunteer experience and what she’s gained from it.
What do you enjoy or find rewarding about your volunteer experience? How do you think it will benefit you?
What I find most rewarding is knowing that although I am not working with patients face to face in the clinic, I am still making an impact on our patients lives. With breast cancer being the leading cause of death in women diagnosed with cancer, it is vital that women are up-to-date with their annual mammograms. The appointments that I am helping to book could possibly allow a diagnosis to be found early, which could ultimately save their life. This benefits me as I am interested in becoming a physician and with a goal of mine being to educate my patients and work with underrepresented groups in medicine, I am gaining hands-on experience that will help me in my career.
Do you feel like you’ve learned anything about yourself or others through volunteering?
I've learned more about my personal drive of “why medicine” and answered the question of what I want my impact to be in the medical field. Through my volunteer role at MKHC and the vital role I play in women being up to date on their mammograms, I know that in the future [as a physician], I want my patients [to be] taught about their health and ways to live a healthy life. I specifically want to help minority communities and make sure that they feel heard about their health concerns and are taken care of holistically.
Is there any experience you had volunteering that really stands out in your mind or a client story that resonated with you?
One client story that resonates with me is one woman who I was calling to schedule a mammogram for. As soon as I told her the reason for me calling her that day, she had a sigh of relief as she wasn't sure when her last mammogram appointment was and did not know how to schedule it herself. Throughout the call she thanked me for taking the time to schedule her mammogram appointment for her. Once I got off the call I was very touched that just that one phone call I made that day made a huge impact on her day and a step to bettering her health.
What do you think is the impact MKHC has on the community?
I think MKHC has a huge impact on the community. Often the patients that we see on a daily basis are uninsured and/or don't have the resources to maintain their health. At the clinic we make sure that patients are seen and cared for not only to fix a current ailment that they may be dealing with, but also to help improve the longevity of their life. With the clinic having a nutritionist this greatly helps patients stay healthy and live a life of great quality and well-being.
Within my first week of volunteering the clinic held a diabetes day where patients were able to be screened for diabetes and talk with a nutritionist on how to manage their diabetes and/or ways to prevent becoming diabetic with healthy eating habits. This was a great resource for the community, and I know with time to come and many other events the community is in great hands with MKHC!
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