This past weekend, I had the privilege of
volunteering at my very first RAM (Remote Area Medical) Clinic for a total of
13 hours. I had no idea what to expect, and I was worried that I would not be
doing anything of use. My worries were quickly discarded as I entered Volunteer
Registration. We signed in at 5:15am and were given our assignments. I was one
of a small handful of people who had their “blood born pathogen training” and;
therefore, was immediately assigned to the dentistry building. There I was a
member of what they referred to as “the bucket brigade”. Myself, along with the
other 8-10 volunteers who had completed the blood born pathogen training, were
instructed to suit up in paper jackets, gloves, masks, and goggles and to watch
carefully for the raising of the purple signs. These signs informed us that the
dentist/dental students were ready for us. We would then proceed to empty the
suction buckets and sterilize the tools. I had never done anything quite like
this before, so it was actually really interesting, and it did not allow me to
get bored very easily. I learned a lot and I was so appreciative for the
opportunity to work with such interesting, caring, empathetic, and driven
people.
This clinic also helped me to notice some
things that I had not understood fully about my home region. I know that this region
of the country where I grew up is poorer than man other areas, but I had not
previously realized the magnitude of the issue. We served between 850-900
people, all from this region, and all who do not have the funds to seek medical
attention. Many of the people that I was able to see had not had access to
dental care in years, and though they had to endure painful fillings and
extractions over the course of this clinic, they were beyond grateful that there
were still people who cared enough to help them. For this singular RAM clinic,
we had over 950 volunteers working together to help as many patients as
possible within our time limits. That hard work, time, and compassion did not
go unnoticed.
Overall, volunteering with RAM was a terrific
experience and I cannot wait to do it again. Helping people like this is why I
want to go into the medical field.
