On any given Wednesday evening, rain or shine, blistering heat or freezing cold, there will likely be a group of individuals lined up outside of Martha’s Clinic on South Seventh in hopes of getting some medical attention.

The clinic, located in the basement of the Martha’s Kitchen men’s shelter, is open 6-8 p.m. every Wednesday and the first and third Tuesday of each month.

Martha’s Clinic works on different levels.

It’s a place for the indigent and homeless to receive medical care, but it also serves as a site where third- and fourth-year medical students can practice medicine under the guidance of an attending physician and where first- and second-year Texas A&M medical students may volunteer and get their initial one-on-one experience with patients in a clinic.

Rachel Garibay of Temple was at the clinic last Tuesday, holding a spot for her mother, who doesn’t have health insurance.

Garibay said in the past when she didn’t have health insurance she brought her son to the clinic. He needed an audiology test and Garibay was able to get a referral to Scott & White for him through Martha’s Clinic.

“It’s a process, but it’s worth it,” she said about getting there early in order to see a medical student.

Ruben Rios, 75, of Gatesville was at Martha’s Clinic on Wednesday hoping to get some assistance in paying for his Plavix prescription that retails for $130.

Even with a prescription card, Rios said the medicine costs him $45, more than he can afford.

Fransisco Reza, 58, of Lampasas was fourth in line Wednesday.

Reza had been told he needed prostate surgery and while he didn’t know how much the procedure would run, he knew it was beyond his means.

The maximum number of patients that can be seen when the clinic is open is 25 and it’s first come, first served.

Dr. Tim Pfanner, a gastroenterologist at Scott & White, was the attending physician at the clinic last Wednesday.

Pfanner has been volunteering at the clinic for about seven years.

In his capacity as attending, the medical students go over their findings and recommended treatments with Pfanner after seeing each patient. If it’s complicated or there’s a question, Pfanner said he would see the patient with the medical student.

“I think this is a real affective way for students to learn,” Pfanner said. “It’s practical and they’re getting some hands-on experience.”

The students learn a tremendous amount, he said, by being able to connect what they see and what’s being done.

Everybody benefits, Pfanner said. The patient gets seen and if a consult is recommended, that patient will be treated at Scott & White for free. Any generic prescription can be filled for minimal costs.

Andrea Means and Becky James are co-chair of the Martha’s Clinic board and fourth-year medical students.

With a goal of going into primary care, Ms. Means said the clinic was a good fit for her.

“Here we are the doctors … we get to examine the patients, make our own diagnosis and planned treatment,” she said. “The doctor is here to back us up, but these are our patients.”

The medical students see some indigent patients at residence clinics at Scott & White, but at Martha’s Clinic it’s total immersion, Ms. James said.

“You get to practice your Spanish here, which is so important and practical,” she said.

The Martha’s Clinic patients, who are so gracious and grateful, make it easy to come to work, even after a really long day, Ms. James said.

“A lot of teaching happens here,” she said.

First- and second-year medical students are just beginning to learn physical diagnosis skills and taking vital signs. By volunteering at Martha’s Clinic they can become comfortable treating patients, before the clinical portion of their education begins.

“They really help us and keep things running smoothly,” Ms. James said. “The earlier the exposure, the better.”

Ms. James, who plans on specializing in OB/GYN, said she’s working to procure some stirrup attachments for the examination rooms.

“We could do some basic pelvic exams here,” she said. “All of us in the fourth-year class know how to diagnose STDs (sexually transmitted diseases). We could easily do those here if we had the those pieces of equipment.”

Though the clinic might look dated compared to clinics at Scott & White, the VA and King’s Daughters, the medical equipment in the exam rooms is top of the line and up-to-date, Ms. James said.

“We really feel blessed that we have this space and the equipment,” Ms. Means said.

The clinic’s seven-member board is made up of fourth-year medical students, with each having particular responsibilities - the pharmacy, recruiting volunteers, making sure a physician is available when the clinic is open and keeping the office supplies stocked.

Emily Ogden, a four-year medical student and clinic board member, is a Temple native and was familiar with Martha’s Kitchen and Martha’s Clinic early on.

Having an opportunity to manage their own patients is a great learning experience, Ms. Ogden said.

She said she was surprised by the pediatric care the clinic provides.

“It’s mainly simple things that parents are worried about, but don’t have the money to take their kids to a clinic, ” Ms. Ogden said.

The usual makeup of the staff is seven students seeing patients, one student staffing the pharmacy and a board member to oversee the operations, said James Littlejohn, fifth-year medical student and Ph.D. candidate.

Typically the population seen at the clinic is not great about follow-up care, but Littlejohn thinks the clinic patients fall into a couple of categories - indigent and transient, and indigent with a stable household.

The diagnoses at the clinic run the gamut, he said.

“It’s a mixed bag,” Littlejohn said of the type of patients the medical students see at the clinic. “It’s more like what medicine would be like in a small town where there is less access to health care.”

Also, the medical students have to come up a plan of treatment for a patient they probably won’t see again, which is different from the plan for the patient who will be back in two weeks, he said.

Funding for the utilities of the clinic comes from Martha’s Kitchen Shelter. Other funds come from donations. The clinic also seeks grants and was recently awarded a Rotary Club grant that resulted in the purchase of diagnostic equipment for six examination rooms, three examination lights, a defibrillator and an EKG machine.