Service Learning Video Gallery

Instrumental video with the following text displayed on screen:

At the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine students are encouraged to be engaged in our community. The local chapter of the Group on Women in Medicine and Science organizes a Medicine and Health Day every year at the Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Virginia. 

Over 50 medical students, JCHS [now Radford University Carilion] students, and VTCRI [now Fralin Biomedical Research Institute] graduate students created fun stations to teach the kids about exercise, good hand hygiene, anatomy, and first aid. They hope it will encourage good health habits, and spark an interest in health and science. 

And who knows? Maybe inspire the health care professionals of the next generation. 

Visuals: 

• coloring station where kids colored organs such as heart, lung, and brain
• using blue light to show kids dust and germs on their hands
• teaching kids to read labels on drink bottles for sugar content
• using paper towels to demonstrate first aid

Instrumental video with the following text displayed on screen:

This year, for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Virginia Tech Carilion School fo Medicine students and staff partnered with Home Alliance and Family Promise to help renovate a rental home that will provide an affordable place to live for a low income family.

Students painted, installed fixtures, hung doors and blinds, and tiled two bathrooms. Their hard work and commitment to the community embodies Virginia Tech's motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service 2018. 

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?' - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Visuals: 

• wide shot of the home
• paint roller collecting paint
• cleaning a window
• cleaning up demolition debris in bathroom
• rolling paint onto a wall
• painting a door
• rolling paint on window trim
• bathroom tiling
• photo of all the volunteers on the porch of the home

[Narrator]: Medical school is a series of sacrifices: social, financial, and of course, sacrificing that most valuable commodity: time. The class of 2017 decided to dedicate a portion of their free time to worthy causes. One project in particular is the now annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Students organize service events on this day to give back to Roanoke. 

[Silpa Thaivalappil, class of 2017]: My first year here, you know, we had the day off, but there wasn't really many activities going on, so I thought it would be great to start the day of service with the school. And at the time I was also founding the humanism in medicine club and I thought that tied in really well because in order to be a better doctor it's important to really know where your patients come from.

[Narrator]: That first year found students prepping beds for a community garden. A year later, on an ice cold February day, they joined forces with local non-profit Renovation Alliance to paint and repair a home for a family unable to do that work. 

[Narrator]: This past winter found them again painting and repairing an apartment that a family would soon call home. Teamwork made students who are more comfortable with fluids and scalpels gain skills with paint and hammers. 

[Eric Wise, Project Specialist, Renovation Alliance]: So it was really nice to see that actual work ethic combine together with someone with not so big skill set with someone who did have that skill set and who has worked with a drill or is proficient with a paint brush, and just trading tips and secrets on how to achieve something, and it worked out very well. 

[Silpa]: One of the quotes that always comes up during this Day of Service is "One of the most important things in life is like what can you do for others?" And I think that like seed that he has [planted] is really important for all of us to think about that, not just in the context of, like medical students being in a hospital and serving patients, but outside of that, what else can we do? Since we are seen as leaders in the community, I think it's important for us to have that broad perspective. 

[Narrator]: Another beneficiary of student service was Feeding America Southwest Virginia. The local food bank put them to work packaging meals for local families. 

[Silpa]: Especially as we're leaving, we want to give back to the community, and so Feeding America was on board with that. 

[Narrator]: While the soon to be doctors have been taught medical skills, they've taught themselves the value of selfless service:

That to heal a broken soul with a balm of hope benefits not just the patient, but the physician.