Photo Caption: Yalda Chalabi, OMS-II administers the influenza vaccine to Abhishek Mishra, OMS-II during the flu shot clinic.
October marks the beginning of the flu season, and student-doctors in their second year of study at the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM) are doing their part to help vaccinate.
Hosted by ICOM’s Student Government Association’s (SGA) Wellness Committee and Student Osteopathic Internal Medicine Association (SOIMA), second-year students administered the influenza vaccine, under physician supervision, to their fellow students, faculty and staff, during the college’s inaugural Flu Shot Clinic.
“It’s a great way for us second-year students to get some early clinical exposure and hands-on practice with an actual procedure,” said Nicholas Scapini, OMS-II.
In partnership with Meridian’s Unity Health Center, the student-doctors successfully administered 142 flu shots during the event, which was also ICOM’s first-ever student-run clinic.
“We work with standardized patients a lot, but this is a really cool way to work with real patients,” said Faith Spratt, OMS-II. “Our patients today are from the community. They’re faculty and staff who we haven’t worked with before, so it’s great.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone 6 months and older get their flu shot before the end of October. The flu can be very dangerous and even deadly, especially for children, people over the age of 65, and those with weakened immune systems.