“Never doubt the power of a small group of committed individuals
to change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Margaret Mead
As part of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP), The Free Medical and Virginia G. Piper Dental Clinics offer medical and dental care for the working poor, the uninsured, and the homeless population in the surrounding Phoenix metropolitan area. The funding for this service is derived from a perpetual grant from the Virgina Piper Foundation and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. I believe that SVDP has internalized the building blocks of Catholic social teaching : preservation of human dignity, respect for human life, association, participation, protection of the poor, solidarity, stewardship, subsidiary, human equality, and “the common good” (Byron, 1998, p. 2 - 6). My service learning experience is working as a RN in the evening health clinic providing nursing care to pediatric and adult populations requiring medical treatments and nursing interventions. The rationale for choosing this site and this environment for my service learning experience is three-fold: St. Vincent de Paul mirrors my values and beliefs; I can use my professional skills and experience to make a difference in people’s lives; and I can ease the suffering of the citizens within my community.
My role at the Free Clinic is as a staff registered nurse (RN) working with a compassionate group of healthcare providers which includes nurse practitioners (NPs), physicians, social workers, physician assistants (PAs), and registered dietitians. In the clinic, I administer medications, apply splints and casts, obtain vital signs, create referrals, and document the encounters. I have worked 2-3 hours per week on the evening shift (the busiest part of the day) providing nursing assessments and interventions—that’s a total of 12 hours as of this posting. For example, a middle aged indigent man with diabetes and a gangrenous left foot came in for evaluation. While cleansing the foot and the associated ulcer, I was able to assess the foot for the absence of pedal pulses and capillary refill. Additionally, I was able to solicit a detailed medical and psychosocial history which included moderate bipolar behaviors and schizophrenia. Furthermore I will able to ascertain that he was a Vietnam-era veteran. Through the use of the social worker and the Veterans Administration, we were also able to get this patient a referral for behavioral health, a hospital to perform the amputation, and a prosthetic device, as well as a post-operative rehabilitation plan. This was just one encounter of many in which the opportunities to make a difference in people’s lives are limitless yet realistic. In fact, I have been asked to help with the community diabetes outreach program and the pediatric dental caries prevention program. Just recently, one afternoon, we went the local mall for a few hours and provide fluoride teeth painting to children 3 – 5. My long term plans include assisting the manager of the Free Clinic in performance improvement projects such as patient wait time reduction, referrals processing, and cost containment issues. Additionally, I would like to do more community projects such as diabetes teaching and exercise.
I would like to leave you with an inspirational quote that sums up my passion and service learning experience:
“Far and away, the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at something worth doing”—Theodore Roosevelt
Byron, W. J. (1998). Ten building blocks of Catholic social teaching. America
