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By Joe Stuteville
Peggy Michelle Stein slumps under the weight of the firefighter's helmet and gear as a handful of curious youngsters swarm around her. "Man, this really is heavy! I wouldn't want to wear this stuff every day," she said with a grin, gently steering her entourage into the Westside Community Health Center.
 IUSM's Peggy Stein (left) dressed for success. |
Stein's outfit isn't the typical attire of a medical student, and she's not looking to put out fires. But the firefighting outfit and her enthusiasm were all she needed to spark the children's interest to enter the clinic. Stein and many of her colleagues at the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) set their sites on promoting health, wellness and safety at this and the North Arlington Community Health Center during National Primary Care Week in early October. Blase Polite, a fourth-year student, originated the idea of conducting the health-screening fairs and set out to enlist the help of medical students at all levels. About 60 students were on hand at both fairs.
"These events were a chance for students to actually design a project then take the lead in directing patients' education," said Polite, who plans to specialize in hematology and oncology. "Several of us thought National Primary Care Week would be more meaningful if we got out in the community and practiced primary care."
The fairs offered participating students a break from lectures, labs and late-night study sessions. "The life of a medical student can be hectic, but sometimes you just have to step outside of the classroom and into the community," said Benjamin Bauer, also in his final year of medical school. "The fairs give us the opportunity to apply our education and, more important, serve the community."
Indianapolis' Westside and North Arlington centers were selected because they are in areas where the community is medically under-served, reported Wilma Griffin, student clerkship coordinator with IUSM's Department of Medicine. More than 125 adults and children took advantage of the services offered at both fairs. The students assisted IUSM physicians with screenings for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, colon cancer and prostate exams for adults. Vision and hearing screenings, and dental examinations were offered to children. Free literature about dental hygiene, bicycle helmet safety, exercise and diet, osteoporosis and other health and safety brochures also were distributed.
To make the health fairs more comprehensive, the future physicians also invited students from the IU schools of Dentistry and Allied Health Sciences to participate. Stein and Jackie Kramer, co-chairs of the Pediatrics Student Interest Group, arranged to have an Indianapolis Fire Department truck and crew and the "Buckle Up Bug," a costumed critter, on hand to greet youngsters arriving at the health centers. "We wanted to address issues that physicians often don't have time to talk about with kids and parents, such as fire safety and wearing seat belts," Stein said.
While they were giving a service to the community, students at the fair also were on the receiving end, said Dr. Palmer MacKie, clinical assistant professor of medicine. "Standard medical practice is good for setting bones and removing appendices, but I think the students discovered that people and communities have different needs and different voices."
"The students learned to speak in ways both communities could relate to and embrace," MacKie added. "As a result, students learned to be more flexible and responsive. There's great satisfaction in reaching out and interfacing with people."
For Polite and his colleagues, the prognosis for future fairs is favorable. "Many of those involved in the planning were second- and third-year students," he said. "It's my hope the lessons learned will make future health fairs even more successful and that the fairs will become an annual exercise."
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