In May, Arlington Free Clinic celebrated a proud moment when our Pharmacist-in-Charge, Dr. Katy Ha, was named Preceptor of the Year by Shenandoah University’s Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy. This honor reflects Dr. Ha’s dedication to mentoring her pharmacy students and her commitment to helping shape the next generation of compassionate, culturally competent pharmacists.
Workforce development is a core – and often overlooked – component of our impact in our community. Free clinics provide a unique opportunity for students and providers to gain hands-on experience working with and caring for people living in underserved communities. At AFC, students work closely with staff and volunteers and directly engage with patients to better understand the social, cultural, and economic realities that shape health outcomes.
This spirit of mentorship and hands-on learning spans multiple disciplines. In clinical care, our nurse-led model offers Nurse Practitioner students the chance to work alongside our staff NPs, and nursing students train under the guidance of our staff nurse managers. In support roles, scribes help our volunteer providers document patient encounters, which provides hands-on experience for many who go on to medical school after their volunteer service at AFC. Through internships, undergraduate students gain exposure to both medical and nonmedical roles in a community health setting. Additionally, graduate students from George Mason University have contributed their expertise in health informatics, working alongside our Clinical Data Specialist to streamline data workflows that directly improve patient care. And, as illustrated through Dr. Ha’s award, pharmacy students learn that understanding a patient’s lived experience is just as essential as the medications they dispense.
AFC’s impact is often measured in the patients’ lives we touch. However, it is also reflected in the professionals we help shape, helping them become leaders who will carry the values of compassion, teamwork, and equity into every patient encounter for years to come.
Joan Bowes Ritter, MD
Medical Director
