BERKELEY FREE CLINIC, MEDICAL SECTION

2339 Durant Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704

bfcmedapps@gmail.com

2016 MEDIC TRAINING APPLICATION

Applications are Due January 22nd, 2016 by 11:59pm - early submission is encouraged
Thank you for your interest in joining the Medical Section of the Berkeley Free Clinic! The BFC is a
collective organization that has been providing health services, dental care, peer counseling, and
community referrals since 1969.
In particular, the Medical Section of the BFC provides the following services:
1) Basic primary healthcare for respiratory, UTI, ear, and dermatological concerns
2) Screening, counseling, and treatment of sexually transmitted infections
3) Tuberculosis testing and tetanus/flu vaccinations
We are looking to expand our staffing and service to the community by training a cohort of medics.
Please have a thorough understanding of the medic training process and overall time commitment
before you apply. Although the BFC is made up entirely of volunteers, the responsibilities of members
are akin to a part time job. Full participation in the Medical section and overall clinic can average at
least 15 hours per week. Give considerable thought as to how you will balance the training and Clinic
requirements with your current commitments.

Application, Training, and Volunteering Requirements

Applying to the Medical Section
Attend an All Clinic Orientation (every 3rd Monday of the month at 7:30pm in the Clinic) to learn
more about the clinic before you apply.
Submit application (Deadline: January 22, 2016). Early submissions are strongly encouraged.
Select applicants will have a short phone interview in February to determine if they will receive a
one hour in-person interview
All applicants will be notified of their status by March 7, 2016.
Timeline:
Application Due

Interviews for Select Applicants

All Applicants Notified

Classes Begin

1/22/2016

Throughout February

3/7/16

4/2/16

Training to become a Medic

Saturday and Sunday classes beginning April 2nd, 2016 and ending September 11th, 2016
Classes last 7 hours; you are allowed maximum of 3 absences, see schedule below
Shift night attendance (~7 hours): one evening per week on Mon, Wed, Thurs, or Fri
Trainees must utilize outside studying and practice to develop and maintain knowledge base.
Attendance at various Clinic meetings
A copying fee of $50 will be due by the end of the training ***
Completion of a Hepatitis B vaccination, TB test, and syphilis test (available for free at BFC)
Certification in Healthcare Provider level CPR/AED***
***NO ONE WILL BE TURNED AWAY FOR INABILITY TO PAY
After becoming a Medic
After completion of training you commit yourself to the following for a minimum of a year and a half:

Weekly shift night attendance.

(~7 hours: 100% shift attendance for the first 6 months and 75% thereafter).
Participation in two Medical Community Meetings per quarter.
(MCM's are held Sundays at 6:30 pm).
Performance of an off-shift task to maintain the smooth running of the entire clinic. A minimum
of 2 hours per week is required, but more than 2 hours is generally needed.
Becoming an active member of the BFC collective: voting in clinic-wide meetings, working on
administrative tasks outside of the Medical Section.

Desired Skills
Successful candidates will have the following qualities and qualifications:

Ability to adapt to stressful and changing situations.

Strong communication and interpersonal skills with clients and clinic members.
Willingness to accept constructive feedback from supervising medics.
Desire to work with clients from all backgrounds with a non-judgmental and open-minded
approach.
Interest in the Risk or Harm Reduction approach to care
Diligence to refine skills, patient education, and appointment protocol outside of classes and
medic shifts.
Resourceful and self-assertive mindset to tackle a wide variety of clinic projects

Additional Notes
Training takes on average 10-13 months. It is composed of two parts: 1) classes with on-shift training,
and 2) on-shift training following the completion of classes.
From April through the end of August, training will include 20-25 hours a week of classes, meetings,
and shift night commitments. Classes are held Saturdays 11-6 and Sundays 10-5. You may miss no
more than three classes during the entire training, and only for emergencies. Missing 30 minutes of
any class counts as half an absence, and missing more than 30 minutes counts as one full absence. All
absences must be made up by completing an assignment from that class teachers. If you foresee

unavoidable future absences, please disclose them in your application now. Any unplanned or
undisclosed absences will have to be discussed within the collective and may affect your training status.

Shifts are one weeknight -- Mon, Wed, Thur or Fri (no full shift on Tues) -- per week from 5:30 pm until
midnight or later. You will be assigned one shift night toward the beginning of training, but you may
need to attend other shift nights to complete the training requirements. Following the end of training,
you will remain on your shift night throughout your time at the clinic.
Following the completion of classes, there will be on average 2-5 months of on-shift training. When
current clinic members feel confident in your abilities as a medic and as a cooperative member you will
be voted in to the clinic and considered a full member. We require a one and a half year commitment
following completion of the training. With this 1.5-year commitment, the average total commitment is
around 2 years and 5 months. We encourage you to think seriously about your time between now and
Fall 2018 before applying.
Considerations
Acceptance into the training is not a guarantee of becoming a Medic. There are several formal
evaluations and requirements during the training that must be completed in order to become a member
of the Medical Section. Trainees are evaluated based not only on medic skills, but also on their
understanding and practice of effective communication, client-centeredness, classroom participation,
enthusiasm, and ability to contribute to a collective.
Please understand that the training delivers a large amount of information in a short amount of time.
Additionally, novel and potentially difficult situations include drawing blood, performing injections, and
conducting physical examinations (genital/urinary) for clients. It is quite rigorous and is continuous
throughout your time as a trainee and medic.
While this may all sound daunting, there are many benefits to volunteering with the BFC Medical
Section. Youll join an amazing group of people dedicated to providing healthcare that is free of
judgment, cost, or any other qualifying factors. Members often view clinic as a second home and
continue to volunteer beyond their minimum requirements. And in exchange for your time and
dedication, you will gain life experience and skills, which WILL change your life. (Just ask any
medic!)
Further, we provide one of the most in-depth and thorough volunteer trainings available. Classes cover a
wide variety of topics, including differential diagnoses, taking histories, physical exams, health
education, the harm reduction model, and serving medically underserved communities. You will interact
with an extremely diverse clientele that includes many who have fallen through the cracks of healthcare.
Through participation in the BFC collective, youll feel the reward of having a direct positive impact on
these clients.

If you have any questions or concerns about the application process, you may contact the Medical
Section Training Collective via e-mail at bfcmedapps@gmail.com. The Medical Section and its
Training Collective is run and organized entirely by volunteers. We will respond as quickly as
possible to your inquiries.
Applications should be completed on a separate document and submitted to bfcmedapps@gmail.com as
soon as possible. Please send the document as a PDF if possible. Though we would prefer an electronic
copy be sent, applications may also be submitted in person or by mail. If sending a hardcopy, please
send us an email to confirm receipt.

Medical Section TC (Box C-3)

2339 Durant Ave
Berkeley, CA 94704

*************ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS*************

Name and contact info:

How did you find out about the Berkeley Free Clinic? If you heard about the clinic through one of
our members, please state their name and section.

Have you ever applied to volunteer at the BFC before? If so, to which section? Are you currently
applying to any other sections?

How long do you plan to volunteer at the Clinic? Be specific and include projected end date.

Do you have any planned absences over weekends between April 2nd and September 11th? If yes,
include dates.

Do you speak any languages other than English? Include level of proficiency.

Briefly summarize your work, volunteer, and educational (formal/informal) experience.

Why are you interested in volunteering with the medical section of the BFC? Be specific.

Describe a life experience that you feel would give us a good sense of who you are.

Indicate your response to the following statements AND write a short explanation for each answer:
If someone wanted to leave an abusive relationship they could.
The American Health Care System discriminates against people of color.
Programs that provide clean needles to drug users perpetuate drug use.

For each of these ten terms: what do you think of when you hear this word? For each term, give
your personal definition (i.e. dont use a dictionary) and then describe your thoughts, feelings,
beliefs, and attitudes.

A.

Promiscuity

B.

Class Privilege

C.

Gender

E.

Queer

F.

Illegal immigrant

G.

Mental illness

H.

Addiction

I.

Reverse racism

J.

Trans*/Transgender

K.

Homeless

What is your background and how do you feel it has influenced your experiences in the world?

Cite a specific example of having had to suspend your personal judgments or beliefs in order to
connect with someone.

Describe a specific time when you feel you have empowered someone else.

Youre relied upon to complete an important project by a certain date and your project partner
texts you at the last minute that they cant help and gives you no reason. How do you feel about
that? What do you do regarding the project? How do you deal with your co-partner?

The Clinic is collectively run, meaning that each member is responsible for performing some
administrative tasks outside of their individual section. Examples might include calling donors;
assisting with fundraisers; ordering medical supplies; helping with Clinic bookkeeping; working
with other sections to develop quality assurance protocols; etc. These responsibilities invariably
require effort made beyond the minimum commitment. What is your capacity to take on tasks
outside of medical services? What skills do you have that will be helpful in taking on those tasks?
Please be specific.

Briefly describe your commitments, including all current and anticipated commitments and
responsibilities that would continue during your training period, such as work, school, other
volunteer work, and any other significant obligations in your life.

What are your personal life/career goals? If you are a student, what is your expected graduation
date? If you plan to apply to a graduate program during your time as a medic, please list:
What you will be applying for
When the program would start
When you would take exams (GRE, MCAT, etc)
When your applications would be due
Anything else you need to do to prepare for the application or program, e.g. classes

Is there anything else you feel we should know when considering your application?

____________________________________________________________________________________
Applications should be completed on a separate document and submitted to bfcmedapps@gmail.com as
soon as possible. Please send the document as a PDF if possible. Though we would prefer an electronic
copy be sent, applications may also be submitted in person or by mail. If sending a hardcopy, please
send us an email to confirm receipt.
Medical Section TC (Box C-3)
2339 Durant Ave
Berkeley, CA 94704

Class Schedule for 2016 Medical Section Training

Note: Class timeline is tentative and subject to change, but start dates are fixed.

WEEK SATURDAY 11-6pm

SUNDAY 10-5

April 2
Intro to the Medical Section & BFC

April 3 **
Collectivity I: Clinic Hx/POU, Inside &
Outside Referrals

April 9
Biohazard, Hygiene, Vitals, PE principles, ROS

April 10
Hx Taking, Chart Writing, Appt
Taking/Phones

April 16
Upper Respiratory Infections I

April 17
Upper Respiratory Infections II

April 23**
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis, Employee Health

April 24**
TB / PPD Test

April 30
STI Education and Protocol Gender Class

May 1
STI Counseling, Harm Reduction Tools

May 7
Stages of Change, HIV, STI Counseling Mocks (incl
HIV+ and linkage protocol)

May 8
Medically Underserved I

May 14
GU I

May 15
GU II

May 21
Medically Underserved II

May 22
Reflections and Evaluation I

May 28**
Venipuncture I

May 29**
Venipuncture II

10

June 4
Womens Anatomy and Pregnancy Protocol

June 5
Urinary Tract Infections

11

June 11**
Tetanus/Flu, Injections

June 12
ER

12

June 18**
Derm I

June 19**
Derm II

13

June 25
BREAK (Pride)

June 26
BREAK (Pride)

14

July 2
BREAK (Fourth of July)

July 3
BREAK (Fourth of July)

15

July 9**
Ear I

July 10**
Ear II + Ear Lavage

16

July 16
Medically Underserved III

July 17
Reflections and Evaluations 2

17

July 23
Lung I

July 24
Lung II

18

July 30
Revised PPP, Perspectives in Medicine, ACA

July 31
Microbiology, Labs, Pharmacology

19

August 6
Counseling, Mental Health, DVSA, Self-Care

August 7
Collectivity II

20

August 13
Building Security, Disaster Recovery / Mock

August 14
TBD

21

August 20
TBD

August 21
Medically Underserved IV

22
23
24

August 27
CPR Training
September 3
Break (Labor Day)
September 10
Medically Underserved V

**Denotestheclassesthatcannotbemissed

August 28
TBD
September 4
Break (Labor Day)
September 11
Final Reflections and Evaluations 3