MEDICAL SCHOOL UPDATES
Arkansas College of Health Education Day of Service
Student Doctor Sydney Despain , a third-year medical student at the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine ( ARCOM ) had the desire to plan an event that would bring students , faculty , and staff together to give back to our community . With a committee of 12 people assisting her , Despain has organized the first Arkansas College of Health Education ( ACHE ) Day of Service that will take place on Saturday , April 23 , 2022 .
Located in Fort Smith , third and fourthyear students are placed throughout the state and region for their clinical rotations , so the event is being planned to include several communities . The ACHE Day of Service will benefit Fort Smith : Fort Smith United Way , Eastern Oklahoma Medical Center , and the Good Samaritan Clinic . In Little Rock : The Little Rock United Way and the Ronald McDonald House . In Pine Bluff : plans include a local nursing facility and a combined effort with AHEC Family Medicine residents at Jefferson Regional Medical Center . There are also plans underway for Hot Springs and Northwest Arkansas .
According to Despain , the goal of the event is to give back to the communities that students , faculty , and staff call home by spending a day cleaning , organizing , and volunteering . In addition to the actual day of service , events organized throughout the week include a blood drive and lunch and learns with speakers from the United
Way and other agencies . The ARCOM Sports Medicine Club is planning a kickball tournament with an entrance fee of canned goods that will be donated to the Community Clearing House in Fort Smith . With financial help from the Degen Foundation , the ACHE Day of Service will be another student-driven event that will help promote health and wellness to the underserved .
In other news , ARCOM students recently announced the winners of their Fourth Annual Research Symposium . Students planned and organized the yearly symposium with 24 presenters and awarded winners in five categories .
Additional events for students include an open forum , “ What is Racial Trauma ? Our Black Story ”, hosted by the Black Student Health Alliance and a 5k and one-mile fun run called “ Heart ACHE ” which will take place on campus in early spring . ■
NYITCOM Student Profile : Hannah Boehler
Growing up in Europe and Asia , Hannah Boehler saw firsthand the disparities between healthcare abroad compared to the United States . When her family left their position as Christian missionaries to return Arkansas in 2010 , she also observed the discrepancies that exist at home .
“ There are a lot of gaps in terms of availability right here in Arkansas , depending on things like geography and socioeconomic factors ,” Boehler said . “ As I began to consider a career in medicine , I was really drawn to rural health care . I really want to practice Family Medicine in a small town in Arkansas that has limited medical resources . It ’ s a calling .”
Upon graduating from Ouachita Baptist University in 2018 , Boehler enrolled at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University . She was drawn to NYITCOM at A-State because of its mission to address issues of access to health care and education in the state region .
“ NYITCOM has a rural focus and provides us with some really unique opportunities ,” Boehler said . “ I ’ ve participated in health screenings in several small towns through our Delta Care-A-Van program and some of my clinical experiences have been in rural communities . That ’ s where I want to ultimately practice , so I feel fortunate to get to see that now .”
Another component that drew Boehler to NYITCOM was the opportunity to be trained in the osteopathic principles and philosophy .
“ I really believe in the osteopathic principles that go into how we approach medicine and the holistic view ,” Boehler said . “ It ’ s about approaching the whole person and not just the disease . That ’ s so crucial to treating them , especially in Family Medicine where you see so many problems , both chronic and acute . Additionally , Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine is a really helpful tool to have for diagnosis and treatment . It gives you another way to take care of patients , even when you have no other resources available other than your hands and your mind .”
Boehler recently completed NYITCOM ’ s Academic Scholars program , which allows select third-year students to step away from clinical rotations for one year to teach and conduct research while earning a Master of Science in Neuromusculoskeletal Sciences . She found the teaching aspects of the program to be particularly beneficial .
“ Long term , I want to be able to instill in others the passion I have for rural health as well ,” Boehler said . “ That may be through teaching as a preceptor or through some kind of academic program . The Academic Scholars program gave me that foundation in teaching that will really benefit me as I try to instill in others the desire I have to help people who need it the most .” ■
184 THE JOURNAL OF THE ARKANSAS MEDICAL SOCIETY