Caden Rasmus - Iowa City Free Medical and Dental Clinic (MHA '27)

Hello from Iowa City!

My name is Caden Rasmus, and this summer I had the opportunity to complete my internship as an AmeriCorps Service Member serving at the Iowa City Free Medical and Dental Clinic. This nonprofit has been helping serve the uninsured and underinsured population with medical needs since 1971. The Iowa City Free Medical Clinic (ICFMC) is the second oldest continuously operating free medical clinic in the United States. The primarily volunteer-based clinic provides care for chronic and acute conditions, women's health, gynecology appointments, dentistry, and an in-house pharmacy that handles many basic medication orders.

This unique nine-month internship has continued to be filled with exciting experiences. My role at the Free Medical Clinic is Super User and Project Manager. I was tasked with leading the clinic in a successful transfer from all paper and pencil patient charting to a new AthenaOne Electronic Health Record (EHR). This has been a very rewarding experience where I have gained many skills in working with and leading people. My amazing preceptor is Jennie Schmidt, who is the executive director of the Free Medical Clinic. She is responsible for the clinic's success over the past five years. She oversees the strategic and operational management of the entire clinic, including finances, staff and volunteer coordination, community engagement, strategic planning, and even a whole clinic remodel and update. Jennie has been incredibly insightful into how to gracefully lead and motivate all staff, volunteers, and stakeholders.

The main project I am still undertaking at the clinic is learning all the ins and outs of the AthenaOne EMR. I have completed hours of training in preparation for our mid-to-end July Go-Live date. This has included leading all staff meetings, connecting and troubleshooting with IT, researching and answering staff questions, and attending weekly meetings with our Athena onboarding leaders. Some of the unique experiences I have been able to have include shadowing doctors through patient encounters, learning how to check patients in (in both English and Spanish), how to create and maintain paper patient medical charts, observing and participating in a phlebotomy class and certification, and overseeing the data transfer of over 4,000 patients. Working at the Free Medical Clinic has been such a wonderful experience filled with a multitude of exciting adventures.

Some of the other things I have enjoyed doing this summer are spending time outside and meeting with friends. Iowa City and Coralville are beautiful in the summer and much calmer than during the school year. I have enjoyed discovering new trails and hosting dinners with old and new friends. I have also gotten to visit my family at our family lakehouse on the west side of Iowa and go to Florida for a family vacation, both of which were so much fun. Overall, this summer has been a wonderful experience, offering both professional and personal growth that will last a lifetime. I gained a better understanding of what it really means to be a leader in healthcare. I have learned valuable skills in being resilient, cheerful in hard times, and adaptive and proactive in the face of change. I am excited to see what else this internship continues to teach me, as I work to leave a lasting impact on the clinic as we finalize our transition to an EMR.