Can I afford to see my doctor? Who will take care of my children while I’m at the doctor’s office? How am I going to get time off of work? How will I find the transportation to get there?
These are the kinds of questions that families living in poverty face when thinking about how to access healthcare. The Poverty Simulation at VCOM-Auburn is designed to raise awareness about the realities of poverty through an immersive, hands-on experience. Rather than learning about poverty in theory, participants step into realistic roles that mirror the daily challenges faced by individuals and families living with limited resources.
The simulation is entirely live and takes place in VCOM-Auburn’s multipurpose room and at Auburn University’s nursing facilities. The spaces are arranged to represent real-life environments such as homes, clinics, banks, and social service offices. Faculty, staff, community members, and second-year students volunteer as patients and in other roles, helping create realistic situations. First-year students act as physicians, navigating the challenges of providing care while rotating through scenarios that give them firsthand understanding of the pressures faced by families living in poverty. Scenarios include managing limited finances, coordinating childcare, accessing social services, and balancing multiple competing responsibilities. Students from Auburn University’s nursing, pharmacy, social work, nutrition, public health, and speech-language pathology programs also engage in these scenarios, emphasizing interprofessional collaboration and community-informed care.
This collaborative approach ensures that students gain a shared perspective on the complex challenges faced by medically underserved communities. Students learn how structural issues, rather than personal choices, shape health outcomes, helping them consider how they can reduce barriers and better serve patients.
Mayra Rodriguez, PhD, MPH, discipline chair and associate professor for Epidemiology, Community and Public Health, Preventive Medicine, and director for Campus Enrichment, who helps lead the simulation, explains: “The Poverty Simulation is intentionally embedded in the curriculum to help students understand the social and structural determinants that impact health. We want our future physicians to recognize that health outcomes are influenced by more than just biology. They are shaped by the community, the environment, and access to resources.”
Experiences like this can profoundly influence VCOM students. First-year medical student Brooke Jones reflects, “The simulation made poverty real and it showed me that health is not always the priority when you’re carrying the weight of financial stress, limited resources, and daily survival.”
First-year medical student Maxwell Recht entered the simulation with prior clinical experience and an understanding of the financial barriers many patients face, but he found himself surprised and the importance of time. “The simulation showed me that for patients living below the poverty line, time is just as valuable as money,” he says. Assigned a caregiver role, Maxwell experienced the constant pressure of managing responsibilities, waiting in lines, and navigating limited access to services.
Dr. Rodriguez emphasizes that experiences like the Poverty Simulation are essential in preparing future physicians to serve underserved and rural communities. “By fostering empathy and a systems-based perspective early in medical training, students learn that effective care extends beyond prescriptions and procedures,” she says.
This immersive experience cultivates physicians who are not only clinically skilled but also deeply committed to providing compassionate, equitable, and community-focused care.