Nursing Beyond the Classroom: Students Make a Difference at RAM Clinic

September 23, 2026

What do nursing students do on summer break? Some work.

This August, nursing students Jazzmyn Valego and Gabrielle Gingras, both Class of 2028, joined Dr. Normadeane Armstrong at a Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic in Bennington, Vermont. RAM runs free mobile medical, dental and vision clinics across the country. Patients don't need insurance. Every service is free.

For Valego and Gingras, it was a chance to see public health nursing up close, and to see who actually shows up when healthcare is free.

Overnight, a middle school gym and hallways turned into a working clinic with dozens of staff and volunteers. Every patient went through triage first. Staff assessed each person before sending them to dental, medical, women's health or optical. Some waited hours. Nobody was turned away.

"Speaking with patients and learning that many had traveled across state lines and camped in the parking lots to access necessary medical care was deeply eye-opening," said Valego. "This experience made me more aware of the limited healthcare resources available to individuals in need and the significant barriers many patients face when seeking essential medical services."

The students moved between departments. In dental, they watched cleanings, fillings and extractions, and saw dentures made on-site with a 3D printer. In medical, they observed primary care and women's health visits. In optical, patients picked frames and had lenses ground and fitted the same day.

"The scale of the operation, the number of needs that can be addressed in one setting, was incredible to witness," said Gingras. "In a setting like the RAM clinic, you encounter people at some of their most vulnerable moments. It really allowed me to appreciate the strength and courage it takes to not only seek help but also place their trust in the volunteers and medical professionals who care for them."

"Healthcare professionals there noticed their confidence, communication skills and genuine care for patients," said Armstrong. "Several encouraged them to reach out after graduation about job opportunities."

For Valego and Gingras, the weekend was a glimpse of their future.