Medically Oriented Volunteer Experiences, a student-created organization that provides students with volunteer work in medical settings, held its first meeting Monday in Waggener Hall.

The organization’s main goal is to offer opportunities to students in order to gain clinically-based, volunteer experiences throughout Austin. Members, who are mainly pre-med and medical students, will have the chance to work in hospital and non-hospital settings during the semester, while also learning leadership skills in a self-paced environment. 

Biology senior Colton Reeh started the organization over a year ago with Donald Egan, biochemistry and anthropology senior, and biology senior Caroline Bricker. The three students, who are all co-presidents of MOVE, created the organization because there was no organization already in place to provide students with medical experiences through volunteer-based services. 

“We started MOVE to provide UT students with clinical volunteering experience while at the same time facilitating relationships between our members,” Reeh said. “These relationships allow students to not only volunteer and interact with students with similar professional goals, but gain leadership experience and provide hospitals with more team-based volunteer systems.” 

Although the organization mainly draws in pre-med students, MOVE has had students from different majors partake in the program because they enjoy the work they have done. 

“MOVE targets students who have an interest in improving their community through clinical volunteering along with students interested in becoming a health professional,” Reeh said.

Sociology freshman Martha Sanchez, who attended the meeting, said she decided to come because she enjoys volunteering and thought this organization would provide her with the chance to do so.

“I’m not a medical student, but I saw the email for this meeting in the directory and I thought it would be a good idea for volunteer work,” said Sanchez. “I wanted to learn more.”

The program also collaborates with other organizations to provide volunteer opportunities, according to Egan. 

“We have a partnership with Brackenridge Hospital on 15th Street,” said Egan. “That is where we mainly do our volunteer work. It is the only level-one trauma center in Central Texas.”

In addition to signing up to volunteer, members must meet other requirements such as staying up-to-date on shot records, according to Bricker. 

“You will need to have your immunization up-to-date, along with a few other required tests,” Bricker said.