Galen BSN Students Bring Care and Compassion to Volunteer Event

It takes a community to care for a community.

When Galen BSN students joined the Remote Area Medical event in Pahrump, Nevada, they became part of a volunteer network providing life-changing care to more than 400 patients.

Since 1985, Remote Area Medical (RAM®) has provided free healthcare services to those in need through mobile pop-up clinics across the country. These free clinics deliver quality medical, dental, and vision services to underserved and uninsured individuals who do not have access to or cannot afford a doctor.

To date, more than 977,000 individuals have received care through RAM’s efforts — and Galen students were proud to contribute to that ongoing mission.

Over the course of two long days and two 12-hour shifts, these future nurses put their training into action — administering flu shots, assisting with vision screenings, and helping Spanish-speaking patients feel seen and understood. In every task, they embodied Galen’s mission of patient-centered care.

“It was really amazing to see them putting their skills to work, and watching them teach each other as well as other students that were also volunteering at the event,” said Rob Phoenix, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, Clinical Education Manager at Galen’s Las Vegas Campus. “Our students really stood out. They set the bar high for other Galen campuses across the U.S.”

According to RAM, the event’s impact was significant — with more than $281,000 worth of medical, dental and vision services provided to the community. Galen students played a key role in that success, contributing to:

Vision screenings for around 100 clients — the second most requested service.
Administration of 30 flu shots to clients and volunteers.
Registration, medical records and patient checkout assistance.
Support in the medical provider area, assisting with procedures, coordinating care and rooming patients.
Interpretation services for Spanish-speaking clients.
“Bucket brigade” duties — turning over dental exam areas using their bloodborne pathogen training to keep dental services running smoothly.

For BSN student and ambassador Nicole Sierra, the experience was both humbling and inspiring.

“It was GREAT! I truly loved the experience and would love to do it again,” she said. “It was very valuable, eye-opening, and definitely aligned with community health.”

Another student ambassador, Jesse Ibarra, found special meaning in connecting with patients who spoke his language.

“RAM was a great experience — especially being a Spanish speaker, I was able to go into medical, women’s health, dental and vision throughout both days,” Jesse said. “There wasn’t a moment where I wasn’t busy. I feel like I made a difference in people’s lives because I could see how much more comfortable they felt knowing someone could understand them and make sure their needs were heard.”

From long shifts to heartfelt moments, this group of BSN students proved that nursing education isn’t confined to the classroom — it’s about community, compassion and connection.

“This group is rockstars, and they knocked it out of the park!” said Rob. “They made Galen proud.”

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