As my year of service with Mercy Volunteer Corps (MVC) starts coming to an end, I find myself reflecting on why I chose to serve. My journey started during the summer before my junior year of college when I began working as a medical scribe in an emergency department. As a scribe, I encountered countless patients who came to the emergency room (ED) in pain and desperation with medical conditions worsened by injustices that they were unable to control. As I tried my hardest to document each patient’s story and its intricacies, from missed follow-up appointments due to unreliable transportation to noncompliance with medications due to expensive prescriptions, I found it difficult that my duties as a scribe only included documenting their history. While I could write in their chart that they did not have a primary care physician, I could not help them find one or ensure that they had transportation to their appointment.

This inspired me to begin volunteering with an organization that provided health advocates and educators to the underserved. However, due to other commitments like school and work, I could not dedicate as much time as I would have liked to service. Thus, as I was planning for my gap year between graduating college and starting medical school, I was excited for the chance to dedicate a whole year to service. After I learned about Mercy Volunteer Corps, through a service fair held at my school, I knew it would be a perfect opportunity to continue my clinical and service work during my gap year while also living in a community where I could grow my faith.

As I prepare to start medical school, I also find myself thinking about the hopes I had entering into my year of service with MVC. I hoped to learn how to compassionately and thoughtfully care for those experiencing injustice and develop skills that I could carry into my future patient interactions as a physician. With about a few months of my service year left, I can confidently say that my goals were achieved and then some. During my year of service with MVC, I have been able to help countless patients in the ED the way I wish I could have as a scribe. As a volunteer in the ED to the Medical Home Program in Savannah, Georgia, I have helped schedule follow-up appointments for patients who would otherwise not be able to afford primary care services at free or federally qualified health centers. I have also given them information on many other resources, including transportation, food assistance, and employment.

Serving with MVC has been a fantastic opportunity that has allowed me to deepen my understanding of healthcare disparities while equipping myself with the skills needed to conscientiously serve marginalized communities in my future medical career. I have also appreciated the opportunity to explore Savannah and get to know the Mercy community here. One of my favorite things is running into the Sisters of Mercy at the hospitals where I work and talking to them about their day. As my time with MVC nears its end and I begin looking ahead to medical school, I am very thankful that I decided to do a year of service with MVC.

Lena Steins: Savannah, Georgia