THE RIPPLE EFFECT: STUDENT EDUCATION

Training the next generation of healthcare professionals is how Siloam Health has been multiplying our mission since the beginning. Siloam partners with universities from across the state of Tennessee to provide education for students studying in a variety of healthcare fields.

George Lin, a Vanderbilt University medical student, had his very first clinical experience at Siloam Health. George explains that “Siloam offers an education you just can’t get anywhere else in medical school about how to care for patients… beyond just their physical needs and how to make sure you address that in the context of a primary care visit.” What George learned at Siloam is that the whole-person approach is essential to providing the best care possible. He shares that “Patients trust Siloam. They are more willing to open up about things that are going on in their lives.”

At Siloam, George was shown importance of considering a patient’s spiritual history. Through that experience, he was equipped to resolve a difficult situation with a patient at Vanderbilt several years later. This patient was refusing recommendations from the medical team because of her belief in God’s healing, and George was able to ask questions, listen to her, and relate to her faith so that in their common language, she came to understand that her faith in God’s power was respected by the medical staff who also wanted to provide the best care possible. This is just one example of how whole-person health care ripples throughout the country as Siloam-trained health care professionals go out into the world to provide care with the love of Christ.

The opportunity to care for the underserved also informs how George will continue to provide care for years to come as he shares that “I’ve seen how important it is to make sure that we, no matter what specialty we are in, advocate for ways that everyone will be given an opportunity if they need to see somebody.”

George has found deep purpose through providing care to the underserved at Siloam because “You feel like you’re a part of a bigger mission, you feel like you’re a part of the Kingdom when you’re there.” Our hope for George and the many students who spend time at Siloam is that they carry these lessons with them, knowing that this “bigger mission” is theirs too and that the Kingdom will come in part whenever they provide whole-person care and ensure that the uninsured and marginalized are provided with high-quality health care.