“You see the impact instantly,” said Emma Schrotenboer, an occupational therapy student at UT Health San Antonio. She and other health science center students helped provide essential medical and dental care to underserved children and adults with complex health needs in Del Rio, Texas, this fall.
The families traveled across the border with humanitarian visas seeking care that has proved difficult for them to find.
Working primarily with pediatric patients, Schrotenboer, a student leader for the outreach, helped fit children with adaptive equipment such as orthotics and wheelchairs. She recounted the joy of fitting a young child with a donated gait trainer, allowing her patient to walk independently for the first time.
“The look on the child’s face — and their family’s — when they could move on their own was priceless. It’s moments like these that remind me why I chose this field. It’s not just about applying our clinical skills but about meeting the patients where they are and finding solutions that fit their unique needs,” she said.
An evolved experience
At the heart of health education lies an equal devotion to patient care and community service. For students at UT Health San Antonio, that commitment takes on new meaning through special outreach opportunities like the wheelchair event created in collaboration with the Christian Medical and Dental Associations (CMDA) of San Antonio.
The 30-year-old partnership between the university and CMDA was established through the efforts of M. Elaine Neenan, DDS, MPH, now retired associate dean of external affairs in the School of Dentistry.
“The partnership has evolved quite a bit since then,” said CMDA San Antonio Director Mitzi Roberts. “At first, we were an organization the School of Dentistry connected with for a summer outreach opportunity for their students. Now we do six local outreach events a year and one week in the Dominican Republic for the university’s medical, dental, nursing and health profession students.”
Prioritizing humanity
Local events, such as those organized along the border and at the San Antonio Refugee Clinic, offer students a small taste of foreign mission work.
“Helping refugees is a small sample of what a mission trip might be like,” Roberts said. “Students learn to work with translators and need to practice being culturally sensitive with their patients. It enhances their ability to see past their patient’s symptoms to truly understand that there is a whole story, a whole life behind the patient in front of them.”
Other opportunities offer students a chance to work with Communities Under the Bridge, an organization that serves San Antonians living in downtown homeless encampments.
“As you can imagine, this is a very different experience,” Roberts said. “This population is hygiene deficient. They have addiction issues, mental and physical health issues. All those combined create a unique learning environment.”
According to Roberts, dental students treat many patients in urgent need of tooth extractions due to decay. Medical and nursing students provide medical screenings for those experiencing health issues or in serious need of wound care.
Adapting to needs
Connor Iacomini, a third-year dental student and student leader for the fall wheelchair outreach, stressed the unique learning environment that such opportunities create.
“It’s very different from what we’re used to in the clinic,” Iacomini explained. “We’re working in non-traditional settings, doing knee-to-knee exams or treating patients in their wheelchairs. You have to be adaptable and creative, especially with children who are scared of dental settings.”
For Iacomini and his team, the challenge of treating patients with minimal equipment honed their skills in improvisation, communication and patient comfort — skills that are indispensable in their future careers.
Schrotenboer’s experience underscored the importance of ingenuity with limited resources, a common theme throughout these experiences.
“We didn’t have the perfect orthotics for every child,” she said, “So, we had to make adjustments and educate families on how to use everyday items, like rolled-up socks, to help with their child’s therapy. Outreach is a lesson in creativity and adaptability.”
Personal and professional growth
Spiritual reflection and personal growth are also common products of participating in outreach. As a faith-based organization, CMDA encourages students to embody compassion and empathy in their patient care.
For Schrotenboer, an understanding of how her faith and her profession intertwine deepened after her participation.
“Being able to serve these families — many of whom are facing incredible challenges — has shown me the power of faith in health care,” she said. “It’s about more than just treating symptoms. We’re offering hope and dignity, which is just as important as any medical treatment.”
Iacomini’s perspective on patient care shifted as well.
“I’ve realized that many special care patients may not fully understand or appreciate what we’re doing in the moment,” he said, “But their families do. It’s taught me that you don’t need recognition to make a difference. The impact is real, whether it’s acknowledged or not.”
A lasting impact on future practice
For many students, clinical outreach serves as a defining experience in their educational journey. Schrotenboer’s upcoming capstone project was even inspired by her experience, which will focus on refurbishing wheelchairs for underserved populations.
As she and her fellow student volunteers prepare to enter the health care workforce, they carry with them the technical skills required for their fields but also a profound understanding of what it means to serve.
“The things I’ve learned during outreach — how to be resourceful, how to collaborate with other health care professionals and how to really listen to patients and their families — are things you can’t learn in a classroom,” Iacomini said. “This experience will absolutely make me a better provider.”