Wescoe Society

Director: George C. Enders, Ph.D.

Associate Directors:  John Calkins, M.D. , James Kindscher, M.D.

Student Leaders: Anee Sophia Jackson, Caroline Markey, Sarah Dickes

NEXT MEETING:
January 17 Lunch Meeting "Fourth Year Electives" Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Laura Zeiger
Noon-1pm, 1025 Orr Major. Register online

Wescoe JayDoc Clinic Night

By Wescoe Student Leader Sarah Dickes 

On Monday, October 22, medical students and faculty members of Wescoe Academic Society participated in a night at the JayDoc Free Clinic, a completely free, student-run clinic that provides urgent and primary care services to the uninsured and under-insured patients in the Kansas City area.  Medical student pairs are responsible for obtaining both vital signs and the patient's 

history, and then subsequently present the case to the attending physician.  This is an excellent opportunity for medical students to practice presenting to a physician, focusing on presenting pertinent information in a logical and concise order.  The physician and students then go see the patient together, come up with a diagnosis, and establish a treatment plan.  The JayDoc Free Clinic is a wonderful opportunity for the medical students to practice and apply their clinical skills early on, while at the same time contributing to the provision of quality healthcare to Kansas City patients in need.

Physician volunteers for that night included Dr. Sally Ling (Internal Medicine Hospitalist at St. Luke's), Dr. Charles Rhoades (Orthopedic Surgeon at Kansas City Orthopedic Institute), Dr. Joshua

 Freeman (Family Medicine physician at KUMC), Dr. Charles Kelly (retired Physical Medicine and Rehab physician), and Dr. Gary Bernhardt (Family Medicine physician at Overland Park Regional Medical Center).  Medial student volunteers included first, second, and fourth year students: Danielle Bradshaw, Jason Foster, Alicia Rose, Andre Koop, Scott Mitchell, Ashley Clark, David Hollenbeck, Ben Heyen, Danny Rhoades, Jessica Sheth, Ryan Vonderhorst, Holly Messamore, Shawna Stokes, Michele Markey, Nathan Mendoza, Sarah Dickes, and Joe Spaniol.

The night ran very smoothly and turned out to be a great learning experience for all those involved.  Several of the medical student volunteers were new to volunteering at JayDoc while some had volunteered at the clinic before.  For those who had volunteered before, they were able to learn something new about a patient or particular diagnosis.  The new volunteers were able to see how the JayDoc Free Clinic operates, and how it is such a wonderful opportunity for medical students to learn before entering their clinical years.  Members of Wescoe Academic Society are looking forward to the next JayDoc Free Clinic event, which will probably take place in the spring.

September Lunch Meeting: International Experiences
by Wescoe Student Leader Anee Sophia Jackson

For the latest lunch meeting, Wescoe Society welcomed a panel of physicians to talk about their experiences on international missions. As the first and second year students enjoyed their delicious Goodcents sandwiches and cookies, the panel composed of Drs. Kelly Kreisler, Jim Kindscher, Joseph LeMaster, and Steve Williamson shared stories and pictures about their travels around the world for various medical missions and how they continue their work back in Kansas City.

Dr. Kelly Kreisler is a pediatrician whose clinical interest lies in international, refugee, and immigrant health as well as early literacy. She started the meeting by showing a power point of pictures from her travels to Guatemala and Haiti. She then discussed her work with refugees in the area and shared some inspiring quotes about her work. She also gave advice on how students can get involved in clinics offering medical care to refugees. Dr. Jim Kindscher, an anesthesiologist, then talked about his experiences on surgical mission teams to Guatemala and the time he spent in Haiti after the hurricane helping with medical relief.

Dr. Steve Williamson is a hematologist/oncologist who has gone on the KUMCIO trips for many years with the first and second year med students over their spring breaks. These trips are taken students and participating physicians to both Belize and more recently, Guatemala.

Dr. LeMaster shared his interesting perspective on both living and practicing medicine internationally for an extended period of time. He spent a month in Nepal on a clinical rotation as a fourth year medical student at KU, and after returning to the United States to complete his residency, he decided to return to Nepal with his family to practice medicine in a rural area. He spent 10 years there before coming back to the US. He is fluent in Nepali, and continues to see refugees from Nepal at the KU Family Medicine Clinic. He shared many pictures of his time in Nepal.

The panel was able to share with students both their hardships and positive experiences abroad while also talking about the preparation that goes into planning and going on an international mission. The students at the lunch all seemed intrigued by the idea of one day going on an international medical mission and really enjoyed hearing the physicians talk about their international experiences and their continued work in Kansas City. It was another wonderful Wescoe event!

Welcome Back Event

by Michele Markey

The Welcome Back event was a great way for students from all academic societies to meet and socialize before studying once again consumed their lives. In Reike Auditorium, an informative and funny take on the new healthcare laws was given via telecom from Dr. Garold Minns, who was unable to attend in person this year. Everyone then moved over to the Hixson Atrium in Wahl Hall East for refreshments and conversation. Refreshments included a large spread of sandwiches, wraps, veggie trays, fruit trays, and cookies for dessert. It did not go unnoticed that no beer was served this year. Unfortunately, due to changes by the Endowment Association, reimbursements for alcohol are no longer permitted. However, there was plenty of soda and water for everyone.

First years, having already been in classes for a couple weeks, were able to ask upperclassmen more specific questions about particular lecturers and which studying techniques work best, while second years were able to mingle with other members of their class who strictly podcast. First years were also able to get a sense of what Academic Societies are about and what benefits the societies can provide. Some third and fourth years showed up, mainly for the free food, but they chatted and answered questions about Step 1 and their rotations.

An important aspect of the Academic Societies is that students are paired up with a faculty mentor within their specific society. This gives the student someone to turn to for advice about classes, studying, choosing a specialty, and anything else on the student's mind. Luckily, some faculty mentors were able to attend this event and mingle with the students.

Despite the large amount of food left, students slowly trickled out of Hixson Atrium to return to studying or whatever else their Friday night plans may have held. The remaining food was carried down to the Emergency Room as a Friday night treat by Annette Kramer and some helpful students.