Clinic rotation brings one volunteer full circle.

Mercy Care parts this week with our long-standing volunteer, Miller Douglas. Miller, now a student at Emory University School of Medicine, reflects on his myriad of experiences while volunteering over the past six years: “From the front desk to behind a desk, through HR and now on the provider front – I’ve really been able to see all sides of healthcare through Mercy Care.”

Miller first encountered Mercy Care while moving back to Atlanta the summer of 2013 following his graduation from U.C. Berkeley. “I was standing in a line, talking with a friend about volunteering at a hospital in Honduras, or somewhere else I could practice Spanish before starting medical school,” Miller recounted. And as luck would have it, someone was listening in. “Dr. Onofre happened to be standing behind me and jumped in; explaining I could stay in Atlanta, where there is a need and plenty of opportunities to speak Spanish. That’s how I was first introduced to Mercy Care.”

An Atlanta native, Miller said he went to the west coast to experience outreach and a community that cares about homelessness. “To find it right here is really amazing to see. There is so much compassion here that I didn’t know existed in Atlanta.”

Over the next two years, Miller volunteered regularly across multiple departments. He made patient calls with Patty Ruiz health educator, scanned papers in HR, and manned the reception desk for Mercy Care’s administrative office. After a hiatus from volunteering to enroll in medical school, Miller returned this year to complete his clinical rotation under Dr. Gabriel Onofre in primary care at Chamblee, where he regularly speaks Spanish with patients. He’s come full circle.

“Volunteering at Mercy Care and speaking Spanish has provided me the opportunity to talk to people who I never would have known otherwise,” Miller reflected. “And medicine allows me the same thing; you’re in this forced intimate relationship in somebody’s life where you get to help them. I don’t think I would have ever experienced so many different emotions in a day through another profession.”

A heartfelt thanks to the many staff members who provided Miller mentorship and meaningful experiences. We can’t wait to call you Dr. Miller. There is no doubt you will have a positive impact anywhere you go from here.