Nancy S. Slater, M.D., M.S.
My experience volunteering as a staff physician at the Sharewood Free Eye Clinic has been both fascinating and rewarding. The clinic offers exams for visual abnormalities to a multi-cultural group of the uninsured and underserved of the greater Boston area. The eye clinic, in existence since 2008, is located in The First Church in Malden, and is part of the Sharewood General Health Clinic.
Incredibly, the Sharewood General Health Clinic is organized and operated by Tufts University Medical School students. Under the guidance of volunteer attending physicians, it is the students who initiate history taking and examinations. I work with two first- or second- year students as they learn to use the various instruments and types of equipment necessary to complete an eye exam. I am learning how to communicate through student interpreters with patients from backgrounds different from my own and who speak a variety of languages including Mandarin, Hindi, Portuguese, Spanish and French. The patients’ range of attitudes toward health care and their previous experiences with medical care in their home countries are always fascinating.
I enjoy the clinical work I do at the clinic one night a month – taking histories, doing ophthalmic exams, diagnosing and treating patients, and arranging for referrals when appropriate. Caring for and educating the patients is fulfilling. Working with these enthusiastic, eager, and appreciative future doctors is a bonus. It would be impossible not to like this job!
The Sharewood Project is a free health education program that also provides limited health care services. Sharewood is led by volunteer medical students and physicians affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine and Cambridge Health Alliance, with help from other health professional students and translators from Tufts University.
Students educate clients about healthy lifestyle, nutrition, exercise and the importance of medical wellness. Under the supervision of physicians and other healthcare providers, students also provide such services as school physicals, oral cancer screenings, confidential STD/HIV testing, and blood pressure screenings. A major focus of the Sharewood Project is its case management services, which connect clients with primary care physicians, MassHealth, and other social services that they may need.
All services are open to everyone, including the uninsured, and no appointment is necessary.
