Student Leadership

All students are encouraged to get involved in the administrative side of the clinic. The UC Irvine Outreach Clinics is completely run by students and will cease to exist without dedicated student leadership. To facilitate this important part of the clinic, nine committees have been established that focus on issues ranging from medications and medical records to volunteer recruitment and patient education (see below for a list and explanation of each committee). Each committee is led by a committee coordinator who is also a member of the clinic board. This board allows committees to communicate with each other and, through discussion and voting, makes the final decisions on the direction of the clinic. Committee coordinators and board members are chosen through an application process; thus early involvement in the clinic to show enthusiasm and to learn how specific committees function is greatly encouraged. If you are interested in joining a committee, please contact the respective committee coordinator by e-mail.

Committees

• Labs: Establish partnerships with laboratories and provide patients with no-cost diagnostics.
• Medications: Establish arrangements for pharmaceuticals and drugs, the Patient Assistance Program, and Target/Wal-Mart medications.
• Medical Records/Research: Establish and maintain an electronic health records system for the clinic and coordinate data collection and analysis.
• Finance/Fundraising: Grant writing, charity event organizing, and maintaining the clinic budget.
• Web/Publicity: Creative work (such as graphic design), publicity, and intranet/public website development and maintenance
• Referrals/Community Networking/Site Search: To establish strong alliances with existing clinics and organizations to provide services that are not at the moment provided by the clinic. Also on the look out for great sites for UC Irvine Outreach Clinics expansion, especially in the Santa Ana area.
• Patient Education/Outreach: Develop patient health education programs; work with partners in the community including LHA Promotoras, mental health services, social services, and family counselors; and coordinate off-site UCIOC outreach activities.
• Handbook: Creating and maintaining the manual of how the clinic is organized.
• Elective Curriculum/Volunteer Recruitment: Organization of the course curriculum and verify volunteer eligibility requirements. In addition, recruit and coordinate volunteers from UC Irvine and the community.

Committee Coordinators/Clinic Board and their duties

Each committee is headed by a coordinator(s) who is responsible for running his or her committee and attending weekly coordinator meetings. The recommendations for medical student (MS) compared to non-medical student as well as the number of coordinators for each committee are merely suggestions. Certain non-medical students will be amply qualified to handle the responsibilities and their appointments should be handled on a case-by-case basis. Also if a position is labeled non-medical student, it is still possible for a medical student to take up that post. Many committees have 2 committee coordinators, meaning that for every general meeting, at least one committee coordinator for each committee should be present. These leaders are expected to organize, oversee, and disseminate all duties and responsibilities of their committee.

Labs — (1 MS coordinator) —

The labs coordinator will be in charge of training the labs committee members in the various lab services provided at the Outreach Clinic. These include blood draws, urine samples, ECGs, etc. Once trained, one member from the Labs committee is required to be at each clinic date. The lab coordinator will also organize the protocol for drawing labs as well as train the members of the committee to enter the labs into the EMR. It is the lab coordinator’s responsibility to keep track of prices of labs and stay within the budget allotted for labs. Once a standalone site is established, the Labs coordinator will also be responsible for finding the most inexpensive contracts for labs and diagnostics.

Medications — (1 MS and 1 non-MS coordinator) —

The medications coordinator will be expected to be well-versed in the Patient Assistant Program (PAP) applications and other associated programs geared towards providing free or discounted medication for the patients. The coordinator will train committee members in the protocol for filling out applications as well as determining eligibility. The medications coordinator is also expected to create a standard method for organizing medications, keeping a log of their distribution, and be aware of overextending the budget.

Medical Records/Research — (1 MS coordinator) —

This position requires experience with computers and a willingness to learn the details of the EMR system being used at the clinic site. The coordinator will also be in charge of finding and implementing an EMR system for future standalone sites. The coordinator will train committee members on how to use the EMR system and they will assist clinic volunteers and physicians in the use of the EMR. A committee member must attend every clinic as there will be a high turnover rate of volunteers and not enough time to train everybody in the use of the EMR. The coordinator is expected to update and maintain the data management system for the clinic. This ensures that UCIOC can keep meticulous records of patients, patient outcomes, volunteer involvement, and clinic efficiency for future analysis. The coordinator is also responsible for developing paper forms for the clinic, including registration forms and patient consent forms, and will also be in charge of any paper medical records that may be necessary to have.

Finance/Fundraising — (2 MS coordinators) —

This position is meant for two coordinators because there are a few distinct aspects to the organization of the fundraising committee. This committee is in charge of grant writing, fundraising through donors in the community, and keeping track of the budget and monthly expenditures of the clinic. As part of the last aspect, this committee is also expected to be the liason for any requests for supplies in the clinic. The committee coordinators are advised to split these responsibilities and organize the volunteers in the committee accordingly.

Web/Publicity — (1 non-MS coordinator) —

The webmaster will be expected to maintain and update both the internal and external websites and any graphic design requests made by other committees. He or she will be required to learn the Drupal system in order to implement important security updates. The webmaster will also be in charge of overseeing posts, volunteer registration, and calendar sign-ups for clinic dates. In addition, the webmaster will be responsible for keeping track of communications from the UCIOC Gmail account and setting up mailing lists as is needed by the various committees.

Referrals/Community Networking/Site Search — (2 non-MS coordinators) —

The referrals coordinators will be responsible for establishing relationships with volunteer organizations in the community to create a comprehensive list of services (legal aid, employment, education, specialized procedures, insurance eligibility) for our patients. While committee members might do the majority of the research, the coordinators are expected to be the liason to other organizations and maintain contact with them. The coordinators for this committee are also expected to be on the lookout for new sites that would allow us to serve a larger population and serve as a hub for the UC Irvine Outreach Clinics.

Patient Education/Outreach — (1 MS and 1 non-MS coordinator) —

The coordinators of patient education and outreach will be expected to organize patient education materials like brochures, cookbooks, and classes to be offered in the waiting room for patients. The coordinators will also plan events in the neighboring communities to make patients aware of our services. Eventually, the coordinators could create partnerships with organizations that provide other forms of health services and make them available for the clinic’s patients.

Handbook — (1 MS coordinator) —

Since the clinic will always be changing and expanding, the handbook will serve as the standard of reference for all future endeavors. It will be important to keep the handbook up to date as it will make future transitions and volunteer trainings smooth. The handbook also contains all the protocols for each committee that is present at each clinic date. Moreover, the handbook coordinator will work closely with the Website coordinator and the Outreach coordinators to create brochures for the clinic.

Elective Curriculum/Volunteer Recruitment — (2 MS coordinators) —

The coordinators for this committee will have a major role in managing undergraduate, graduate, and medical student volunteers. They will also be expected to direct the “Caring for the Underserved” Elective by recruiting various speakers and planning out the schedule for their lectures. They will serve to inform all volunteers about positions that are open, clinic duties, and ways to get involved. The coordinators will also be expected to send out a weekly newsletter to the student body about the progress of the clinic.

Other Leadership Positions

Liaison to the Administration — (2 MS coordinators) —

From the 16 possible committee coordinators, two medical students will be the student representatives of the clinic. These students will collect all ideas and concerns and present them to the administration and relay all responses back to the students. These students are also in charge of organizing general meetings and delegating general work in circumstances that necessitate an overall leader.

Elected Conflict Resolution Board Member — (1 MS coordinator) —

In the case that there is a conflict between various members of the board, it is advised that the board begin the year with a vote to elect one among them to be a neutral judge and facilitator of reconciliation. Within each committee, the coordinator of the committee will serve as the person to resolve conflict.

Election Process

Committee coordinators are expected to serve a one year term. Applications will be available to all interested volunteer students, and must be turned in by the appointed date. An anonymous ballot will be distributed after applications are reviewed during a general meeting. For election of new committee coordinators, current committee coordinators and Dr. Dow vote with a 50% +1 majority deciding the chosen applicant.

For the two Liaison to the Administration Positions, a separate application will be distributed after the new board is elected. Each member of the new board will choose their top 3 candidates, and write them anonymously on a piece of paper. A chosen member of the old board will collect and tally the top 3 candidates for the position. THESE THREE PEOPLE ARE NOT TO BE DISCUSSED TO ANYONE BESIDES THE OLD BOARD. From those three individuals, the old board with Dr. Dow will decide which 2 candidates are the best pair to orchestrate the best interests of the clinic. If a consensus is not reached, the old board and Dr. Dow vote, with a 50%+1 majority deciding the two chosen applicants.