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For Georgia Tech pre-med student, Malvika, volunteering at a Remote Area Medical (RAM®) Clinic is a great opportunity for her to give back to the community. She plans to attend medical school with hopes of becoming a cardiologist. At the RAM Clinic in Athens, Tennessee, Malvika was one of the 98 volunteers working. Volunteers worked hard to bring free dental, vision, and medical care to patients. Thanks to these volunteers, more than 100 patients were able to receive the dental, medical, and vision care they needed. The value of care worth nearly $83,000.
She first heard about RAM and the Georgia Tech RAM Campus Chapter. She was looking around on campus for ways to become involved in the medical field. RAM’s free clinic in Athens, Tennessee was the second clinic Malvika has traveled to as a volunteer.
When speaking about her experience as a volunteer, Malvika commented that she would recommend that pre-med students interested in joining the medical field volunteer at a clinic to see what working with patients is like, first-hand.
“. . . Try attending as many clinics as you can because that’s what really makes you learn more about how RAM works,” Malvika said. “And it also gets you interested and makes you understand if you are really interested in medicine because, like, you come to these rural areas and you get to work with all sorts of patients that you might not see when you are in college.”
Deciding to Go Pre-Med
Malvika first became interested in becoming a doctor when she was in fourth grade, after her dad was admitted to the ICU and she spent time with him in the hospital. Once she got to high school, she began to take an interest in physics and how it can be used in medicine. As a freshman at Georgia Tech she began taking labs, any lab classes that she could get in, which helped push her toward a career in medicine.
Taking labs at Georgia Tech inspired her to pursue cardiology. Through a mentor she became connected with a cardiovascular surgeon at Emory University. After shadowing him in a catheter lab, she knew this was the path she wanted to follow.
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At a RAM Clinic there are so many different opportunities to learn and volunteer. At Malvika’s first clinic she worked in dental sterilization. In Athens Malvika worked in vision screening before patients saw the doctor. She was able to gain experience in different areas of the clinic. The volunteer saw many of the different aspects of medicine in some capacity.
She shared that volunteering at the clinic was inspiring for her. Through volunteering at RAM Clinics, Malvika has had the opportunity to interact with patients and see the need for access to free healthcare first-hand. Also, see how RAM is able to bridge the gap in healthcare for so many patients in just one or two-day pop-up clinics.
“So, it kind of like inspires me to be able to do this once I have my own MD degree and go through training, to be able to provide the same level of effort,” said Malvika.
More About RAM and Our Free Clinics
Want to learn more about this RAM Clinic in Athens, Tennessee? Be sure to read our post about partnership with the Good Faith Clinic.
Learn more about the RAM Campus Chapter program. See what other students have to say, or even start a Campus Chapter at your school, click here.
Volunteers are the backbone of our clinics. If you would like to volunteer at one of our upcoming free clinics, please join us!
Our mission would not be possible without the generous donors. Consider becoming a monthly donor. Your donation makes a difference in the lives of all our patients.
Are you a pre-med student or anyone looking to attend medical school? Consider volunteering with RAM. You can gain first-hand clinic experience to add to your medical school applications. You’ll also meet people with similar interests and make a difference in your community.
Reading this blog is just one of the many ways you can support RAM’s mission. Click here to read our other blog posts. Learn more about how RAM is making a difference one clinic at a time.
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