Undergraduate student role
Undergraduate students play an integral role by staffing the front desk, serving as the first liaison with patients, and carrying out a number of other administrative duties.
Administrating duties include:
- ushering and checking in patients
- calling patients who missed their appointments to reschedule the appointments
- preparing individualized health pamphlets that will be given to each patient as part of our Patient Education/Counseling Program
- scheduling follow up appointments
- distributing and collecting patient paperwork
- updating the NYCFC database of free & low-cost health resources in New York City
- administering the new patient demographics survey
- answering the NYCFC phone
- ensuring that front desk operations are running smoothly and that all patients are being taken care of
Undergraduates volunteering at the clinic also shadow the clinical teams, providing a unique opportunity for clinical exposure at the only comprehensive free healthcare clinic in New York City. Each undergraduate volunteer will spend 3 hours with a clinical team, consisting of a 3rd-4th year medical student and a 1st-2nd year medical student, observing and occassionally assisting with examining patients and presenting to the precepting physician.
Undergraduate students are assigned at least one Saturday session per month for a four-month period, with each session running from 8:30am to 3pm. Undergaduates can expect to spend three hours performing administrative duties and three hours shadowing clinical teams throughout the course of their day.
Four undergraduate volunteers and one alternate are scheduled each week. Our attendance policy is that no more than one excused absence (medical emergency, loss in the family, etc) will be accepted. Any unexcused absences or failure to find a replacement will result in loss of all volunteering privileges.
