The Journey of Service

"Serving with UF Health Healthy Start has allowed me to gain invaluable experience in the field of women’s sexual and reproductive health. Interacting and discussing reproductive health with patients has reaffirmed my passion for sexual and reproductive health and confirmed my desire to become a nurse midwife. I am excited to be starting nurse midwifery school in the fall and am more confident in my decision to enter the women’s health field after spending 11 months serving with the North Florida Health Corps." –Maddy Spahr

"This year has been amazing! Being able to serve a needy community and learn about the ins and outs of public health has helped me in so many ways. I've gained confidence and developed a skill set that will follow me as I start working on my Master's in Nutrition at CUNY's School of Public Health this fall." –Britteny Johnson

"Arriving closer to my first day of med school, I have been reflecting about the dire condition of healthcare in the US for our lowest income residents while serving at the Sulzbacher Clinic. Without the Medicaid expansion in Florida, homeless patients come to the Sulzbacher Clinic at 6:30 AM on walk-in days, hoping to get a good spot in line so the doctor can treat them. While there is no excuse for such poor access to care for so many of Florida's residents, I feel honored to serve with an organization that's trying to help, and I hope to continue to fight this access disparity as a practicing physician." –Erica Weber

"My experiences as a member of the North Florida Health Corps have helped me grow both personally and professionally in more ways than I could have ever imagined. Not only through my host site service at the Northeast Florida healthy Start Coalition, but also through outside service at organizations like Camp Boggy Creek and the Arc, I have been able to serve populations that I will continue to work with in the future as I pursue my Masters in Genetic Counseling at Arcadia University in the fall!" –Katie Grand

"Committing a year of service as a North Florida Health Corps member at River Region has allowed me to gain invaluable patient contact and bedside manner skills to better prepare me for Medical School in the Fall. I have no doubt that my AmeriCorps experience has benefited me both as an individual and a future physician." –Han Lee

"Serving at UF Health Nurse Family Partnership and Healthy Start has really helped me in terms of the interviewing process. I think that being able to sit down with clients and discuss different health topics has helped increase my knowledge of social issues and helped to develop my "bedside manner." I will definitely be taking my experiences with me when I attend medical school in the future." –Kim Derby