Helping Those Who Are Under-served: Working with Remote Area Medical

Abstract

Remote Area Medical (RAM) is a valuable source because their focus is to provide quality care to those who are under-served and impoverished in the United States and other countries around the world. RAM is a non-profit that coordinates and implements free medical care, vision screenings, and dental care to anyone in need with the help of volunteers. They provide this care even if the patient is not insured. Indiana University Southeast senior nursing students traveled to Charleston, West Virginia to assist with a RAM clinic set-up, and to work with two Registered Nurses to triage over 600 patients. The purpose of this poster is to provide an overview of RAM; summarize community assessment data for the uninsured and under-insured population of Charleston, WV; and discuss the population and nursing student outcomes for the experience working with RAM.