In just a 11 days, I’ll be back in HTX over Easter weekend. Very excited to have reprieve from the heat… although knowing Houston, I may just be trading one kind of sweat for another.
Last post, I broke down what volunteering looks like depending on length. This one is about how it actually works once you’re here.
Let’s get into it.
What You’re Walking Into
Hillside has been around for about 25 years. What started as primarily medical (physicians, nursing) has grown into a full-on student-run, multidisciplinary clinic. The following disciplines are now part of the Hillside Experience:
- MD/DO
- PA
- MPH (sometimes dual with MD/DO or PA)
- PT
- PharmD
- Speech therapy (coming this summer)
- And recently, our first OT student working on building an OT program with her program instructor
The set up has truly grown into a unique clinical rotation experience.
Your Role as a Volunteer
As a volunteer, you’re stepping into your discipline — but not in the way you might expect.
Each department has a director. Volunteers come in and support + teach, not take over.
For rehab:
- I may step back and let the volunteer PT take the lead as CI
- I’m still involved, just more in the background
- I’m out in front as lead CI demonstrating in and facilitating patient sessions
Same on the medical side — volunteers guide, directors support.
And the key point?
Students run the show. You’re there to guide them, challenge them, and yes…
Edu-ma-cate them.
The Real Learning Happens Outside the Clinic
The clinic isn’t the only place students serve. Home health visits and mobile visits to nearby villages are a big part of the experience. Here is where volunteers really get to see how rural southern Belize is.
On mobile days:
- Medical students often split into groups
- One preceptor goes mobile, one stays back
- It’s still multidisciplinary
Rehab doesn’t go on every mobile (usually 1x/week starting week 2), but when we do, it’s the same setup.
Scheduling for daily visits becomes an art form when there are 3 to 4 students.
Because here’s the reality:
We don’t always have enough rehab volunteers.
So we get creative:
- Students shadow nursing
- Help with public health education
- Consult with medical. One student got to partake in an ASIA examination for a patient with a spinal cord injury with a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician!
I couldn’t do this alone! I am grateful to have staff members who can help navigate the scheduling challenges.
The Part I Didn’t Expect
When I decided to come here, I thought I would be stepping away from patient care.
Now? I’m not so sure.
There’s something about this environment — the pace, the people, the purpose — that brought me back to why I wanted to be in healthcare
More on that later…
Next up (Part 2): how you actually get here, where you stay, and the logistics no one can really explains until you’re in it.