Community Involvement

2010 Student Workshop Activities

As part of the curriculum students from all four satellite campuses go into the community to practice what they have learned. Here's whats going on this Spring!

As part of the Maternal Child Health course, during spring quarter, students visit a childcare center to observe behaviors.

Developmental Workshop

The suturing workshop is a 3-hour spring quarter didactic workshop where students learn to suture and tie knots. This year the workshop was held at the Harborview ISIS simulation lab. They also practiced doing punch biopsies (on oranges), intubation, and lumbar punctures.

Suturing Workshop

The Operating Room Orientation is a workshop in which our students go to an operating room to get acquainted with the surgical suite. At this workshop, they learn sterile technique and how to properly scrub, gown, and glove.

Intro to Surgery

Seattle Class 43 Students Get Involved at the 8th Annual Latina Health Fair

Doug Dedo, PA-S Seattle Class 43, Treasurer

PA students from MEDEX Northwest Seattle class 43 volunteered at the 8th Annual Latina Health Fair on Saturday, May 15, 2010. This is a community-based health fair designed to reach women of all races and ethnicities who lack health insurance or access to health care services.  Free medical exams, pap/pelvic exams, mammograms, pregnancy testing, blood pressure testing, diabetes testing, cholesterol testing, HIV testing, osteoporosis testing, vision testing, and dental screenings are provided free of charge to those who attend.  This is one of the largest single-day service projects undertaken by University of Washington students in the health sciences every year. The Seattle PA students helped with registration, vital signs, cholesterol testing, and the foot care clinic.

Members of the Spokane faculty, Spokane Class 13, and MEDEX graduates participated in the 27th Annual Area Heath Education Center Primary Care Update conference in Spokane the weekend of April 30th - May 1st. The AHEC PCU conference is designed to provide an opportunity for Physicians, Physician Assistants, and other health professional to participate in educational workshops with a primary care focus. This primary care conference is the largest in the Northwest with participants numbering between 400 and 500.

(left to right) Colleen Smith, Ben Hogan, Sarah Wilson (Spokane class 12), Steven Meltzer (MEDEX Spokane faculty),
Char (Finley) Jalovi (Graduate Spokane class 9), Don Coerver (MEDEX Spokane faculty.

More information about the WWAMI AHEC program please visit http://depts.washington.edu/ahec/

Anchorage Class 1, A Class With Heart!

President, Jennifer Wnetrzak, Anchorage Class 1

On Sat. April 24th, members from Anchorage MEDEX class 1 participated in volunteering and running in the annual Alaska Heart Run. Over 6,000 participants took to the streets, running and walking in the name of those who have survived heart attacks and heart surgery. Our class members helped out with cutting hundreds of oranges all morning and running for the cause. It was a beautiful Anchorage morning and a great day to be part of the community in this historic and popular event.

(left to right) Janelle Lovern, Even Evanson, Maggie Walker, Cordelia Sewall, Jennifer Wnetrzak, Brad Newhart, Laura Luebke

Seattle Class 43 Students take a tour of the Tulalip Tribal Health and Dental Clinics

Seattle class 43 students spent a day touring the Tulalip Tribes Health and Dental clinics in La Conner, WA this fall. This health facility offers state-of-the-art health services to tribal members. The mission of the Tulalip Health and Social Services Department is to provide a premier integrated healthcare delivery system that is culturally relevant and addresses the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional needs of all Tulalip Tribal Members.

Picture Perfect! Gregg Porter (seated) with Erica Bottai (standing) getting to know the Tulalip dental clinic.

Martin Luther King Jr "Day to Serve
by Victoria Tang, PA-S Seattle class 43

Day to Serve is hosted throughout the country as a celebration of the work Martin Luther King Jr did for our country. The day started with a rally on UW campus with approximately 500 attendees. From there we headed to our volunteer sites throughout the Seattle area. Members of the MEDEX 43 class were able to serve in Seward Park on Lake Washington. There we removed invasive species of plants from the park grounds and got nice and dirty doing it.

Seattle class 43 students are currently training for a half marathon run this spring raising money for the Arthritis Foundation and looking forward to the annual Latina Health Fair, as well as the literacy campaign book collection for AAPA. Students will also be participating National AAPA conference being held in Atlanta, GA in May.

Instead of "A Day Off" Seattle class 43 students Carolyn McGarvey (left),Barbara Sand, Nancy Sesmundo, Jessica Wozab, Jill Allen, and Victoria Tang
(right) spent a beautiful day helping the Seward Park Reforestation Project clear invasive plants such as blackberry bushes and holly trees.

Student Volunteers at the 2010 WAPA Winter CME Conference

WAPA Winter 2010 was hosted at the Double Tree Inn at SeaTac, WA. Representatives from all four MEDEX classes volunteered with check-in, directions and trouble shooting for this event. Each class also participated in a raffle to raise funds for more student community service and other student activities. Spokane Class 13 raised enough at the WAPA raffle to help send delegates to the National AAPA conference in Atlanta, GA in May 2010

Seattle Students represented left to right; Barbara Sand, Aaron Barlond, Roger Calvert, Karen Leung-Waite, Nancy Sesmundo

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Anchorage Class 1 Gets into the Community Service Spirit!
by Jennifer Wnetrzak Anchorage Class 1 President

Our class has volunteered at Bean's Cafe to participate in a health fair earlier this spring. We broke up into groups and provided various check-ups to people for free, such as eye exams, weight/height/BMI readings, BP, blood drawing, etc. We also participated in a volunteering event for the Alaska Kidney Foundation in October, where class members took vitals, height/weight, and urinalysis screening. We are working on putting together a community car wash event for fund raising later in the spring and brainstorming ideas for more spring, summer and clinical year events.

Spokane Class 13 is Motivated to Help!
by Julie Crownover and Casey Wyatt

The humanitarian emergency in Haiti has inspired Jennifer Davis to get involved with a national charity called Soles4Souls. Soles4Souls collects and distributes donated shoes to people in need, worldwide. Liesel Ernst & Christina Jones participated in a local semi-annual clothing event called God's Closet. This event allows families to select donated clothing by the bagful for only a $1.00 entry fee. Another noteworthy student, Andrew Becker, spends the weekend volunteering for the Moscow Fire Department as an EMT at least twice a month.

Finally, Casey Wyatt, Christina Jones, and Julie Crownover participated in the annual Sleepover for Science event on Friday March 12th. The Area Health Education Center (AHEC) sponsors the event, which happens at the Spokane Riverpoint Campus. This is a Friday night and Saturday morning event which is organized for grade school level children to encourage the exploration of medical sciences. Spokane students used hands-on activities to demonstrate the PA role in healthcare for these children.

Yakima Class 16 Participates in Special Olympic Events in Eastern and Central Washington.

Robert Johansen, Yakima class 16 secretary, is the lead person for volunteer activities in Yakima. He is active with the Special Olympics of Washington and has encouraged the Yakima class to participate in all of the Olympic games in Eastern and Central Washington.

Since the Fall Quarter of 2009, students of the Yakima 16 PA Class have been actively participating as volunteers with the Special Olympics of WA.

The Special Olympics Washington provides year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. By participating in sports, physical fitness and health care education programs, Special Olympics Washington athletes increase self-confidence and social skills, improve physical and motor skills, and have better success in leading more productive and independent lives.

The students that have shown an interest and participated in these games are: Chris Bentley, Christy Caple, Daric Craven, Rhonda Gleason, Robert Johansen and Erin Vander-Stoep.

11-15-09 Fall Bowling Tournament in Yakima WA
01-24-10 Winter Basketball Tournament in Cheney WA
04-24-10 Spring Soccer Tournament in Yakima WA
05-01-10 Spring Games in Cheney WA

Summer Games are approaching and will be held at Fort Lewis June 25-27th. An update about this event will be posted here.

Special Olympics Bowling Tournament. Pictured are (from left to right) a friend of Yakima class 16, Rhonda Gleason, Daric Craven.
Will Roberts and, Rubee Gonzoles Yakima class 17

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Christmas in Yakima

Yakima class 13 adopted a family through the YWCA Women's Shelter this past Christmas. Our family was a single mom and her three young children, one of whom was disabled. Members of the Yakima class donated money, bought presents and gift cards. MEDEX class members had a great time buying gifts and the family enjoyed their holiday.

Pictured are (from left to right)
standing: Christy Caple and Chris Buscher. seated: Will Roberts, Bob Kubiniec, Rhonda Gleason, and Erin VanderStoep

Seven students from MEDEX Seattle Class 43 along with one faculty member, attended the 15th Annual MAP Bridging the Gap breakfast.

It was hosted by the Multicultural Alumni Partnership (MAP) and co-sponsored by the University of Washington Office of Minority Affairs and the Office of Advancement. The breakfast celebrates the diversity in our community and the University of Washington. It also provides an opportunity to recognize distinguished alumni winners (see http://www.washington.edu/alumni/partnerships/map/2009bios.html), raise funds for the MAP Endowed Scholarship and acknowledge the 2009 MAP scholarship recipients. The students were able to meet US Congressman Jim McDermott, who was one of the co-emcees for the event. He was instrumental in establishing the PA practice law in Washington while a state representative.

pictured from left to right
Doug Dedo, Karen Leung-Waite, US Congressman Jim McDermott, Nancy Sesmundo, Carolyn McGarvey, Victoria Tang

Spokane class 13 student, Zandra Melchor, attends the US Hispanic Leadership Conference in Spokane, WA.

By Zandra Melchor

In early October I attended a leadership conference sponsored by the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute of Chicago. I would like to share some of the insights and information I learned in this conference as they might help as we move toward a more responsible position within health care. The workshops I attended were simply informative, and included some ideas for fundraisers in our communities, especially in the Spokane area.

Most of the students attending the leadership conference represented several colleges and universities in the WWAMI area. Two of the five workshop meetings I was able to attend presented information related to leadership positions that Latinos (-as) may hold in different professions, and how this is difficult to achieve due to the lack of access to education. The DREAM Act and Health Care reforms were two of the main topics discussed during the conference. Some of the main points in these meetings appear to be minority-focused at first, but they really affect all of us in broader terms as we all contribute to our communities. I urge all of my classmates to become familiar with these bills and support all of us students seeking to improve minority access to basic services such as health care and education. Let’s try not to downplay the effect that race can have in health care access and delivery , and instead continue to strive to become humble, fair, and kind health care professionals. I personally feel that diversity enriches our lives in many positive ways. Let’s all work together to keep our diverse populations healthy as they contribute to our communities.

MEDEX Northwest 1st Year Students celebrate their professional transition with a White Coat Ceremony.

Entry into the medical profession is an honorable rite of passage for students across the country and around the world. For the students of MEDEX Northwest, most of whom have already been in the health care field for several years or more, it also signifies an important time of transition in many different ways. It is a transition from their prior profession and identity to the profession of medicine and the PA role, for some it is a geographic transition from their home state or town to their training site, and it is also a transition that marks the beginning of their new role as a member of the professional medical team and patient care provider. Click here for stories and pictures of the day's events.