Advanced Trainees in Student-Run Free Clinics: Potential Bridges to Critical Gaps in Knowledge

Background: Student-run free clinics (SRFCs) are increasingly becoming multidisciplinary care centers for underserved and uninsured patients across our communities. While SRFCs continue to advance research on various fronts to improve the quality of patient care provided, there remains scant literature on the involvement of resident and fellow physicians, or rather advanced trainees across disciplines in general, in the SRFC setting. As a result, there is a limited understanding of how best to include them and their skillsets within SRFCs and to design opportunities mutually beneficial for both SRFCs and advanced training programs. Purpose: To initiate a call-to-action for SRFCs to invest resources toward better characterizing the involvement of advanced trainees across SRFCs and the impacts they can potentially impart upon both the SRFC’s educational and patient care experiences. Summary: There remains limited information available pertaining to the involvement and impact of advanced trainees in SRFCs. As a result, these remain suboptimally-tapped areas of research and SRFCs are well-positioned to potentially bridge critical gaps in knowledge. Potential approaches to this include 1) querying advanced trainees currently involved in SRFCs on their motivations for being involved, 2) encouraging advanced trainees to discuss how other trainees may similarly become involved and to help with securing their participation, and 3) surveying training program leadership at institutions with SRFCs on how mutually beneficial partnerships between SRFCs and training programs might be established. In better characterizing their roles, SRFCs have an opportunity to fuel significant changes in health education and patient care.