The Role of a Medical Student this Election Season

Since I started medical school at Howard in 2022, patient advocacy has been a significant part of my journey, and a mindset that will be intertwined with whatever specialty I choose. Now, in my third year and being in the clinical environment, I see that I can have an even greater impact by being face to face with my patients and letting them know that I have their best interests at heart. When I sit and listen to their stories, I find that many of them are homeless or don’t have insurance to cover the medications they desperately need. Recently, I had a patient who was getting discharged, and we had to go through an extensive process to gain authorizations for his medications, working together with nurses and social workers to ensure it would be paid for. I know that health policy and its relation to social determinants of health is extremely important to understand because I see it every day when I walk into the hospital. We can now help be the voice for our patients and communicate their concerns so they can leave better than when they came.

As future health professionals, we have a responsibility to ensure outcomes that benefit our patients.

During my time as an intern at Vot-ER, I have seen and heard about voting as a key factor in fostering healthy communities. Doctors, especially those at Howard University Hospital, are seeing patients who are disproportionately affected by the conditions in the wards where they live. Data has shown that people from marginalized backgrounds are more likely to be in poor health, which directly leads to barriers in the voting process and less focus on chronic diseases that affect mortality. Nonpartisan civic education is the key to leveling the playing field, and we need to meet communities where they are. Informing people that they have a say in who represents them will help amplify their voices to be heard.

As future health professionals, we have a responsibility to ensure outcomes that benefit our patients. We work hard to establish rapport and trust with our patients so they feel comfortable sharing their stories, hoping it will lead us to a diagnosis. Helping our patients and colleagues register to vote is a tangible way to show our dedication as we advocate for healthier communities. Medical students and doctors, too, need to make sure we are registered to vote—how can we say this is important without doing it ourselves? Many elections are often decided by a small number of voters, and the impact you can have is immediate! We don’t have to be experts on politics to do this or have all the answers. Taking the steps to engage in the voting process is crucial.

Now that the 2024 election season is upon us, I encourage you to take action today! We can all work together to support the civic health of our communities.

Here’s how to get started:

• Join the Healthy Democracy Campaign and host voter registration drives at your institution! https://vot-er.org/healthy-democracy-campaign/
• Check your voter registration at https://vote.health/fmstudent and make sure you are able to vote in your state!
• Get a nonpartisan Vot-ER badge to help others register and make a plan to vote at https://get.vot-er.org/?referral=fmstudent