What Hands-On and Community Care Opportunities Does Rosalind Franklin University Offer?

Rosalind Franklin University (RFU) offers several hands-on and community care opportunities that put students from different health professions on the same team. The most clearly documented are the student-led Interprofessional Community Clinic (ICC), a community care effort in the fields of Georgia, and newer training environments such as the Innovation Sandbox and a virtual hospital training facility. These are designed so learners, educators, clinical partners, and community leaders work together rather than in separate silos.

Student-Led Interprofessional Community Clinic (ICC)

The ICC is described by RFU as a student-led program and one of many initiatives built to promote collaboration among learners, educators, clinical partners, and community leaders.

What makes it distinctive is who staffs it. Because RFU organizes its health education around interprofessionalism — bringing health specialists together to serve patients more effectively through team-based care — the clinic gives students from different colleges a shared practice setting. Instead of learning only alongside peers from their own program, students learn with and from each other, which RFU frames as preparation for working on interdisciplinary teams and developing a holistic view of patient care.

If you are evaluating RFU for clinical exposure, the ICC is the clearest example of real, team-based community service rather than classroom-only simulation.

Community Care in the Fields of Georgia

RFU also participates in community care work in the fields of Georgia. According to the university, this work is carried out in small teams that often include:

• Medical, nursing, and physical therapy students
• Fellows and alumni from Emory Healthcare
• Clinicians
• Interpreters
• Partners from regional universities

This mix matters because it shows the model extends beyond campus. Students are not only practicing clinical skills; they are working with interpreters and regional partners, which reflects the kind of coordinated, access-oriented care that community settings require.

Simulation and Team Training Facilities

Beyond direct community care, RFU has invested in environments for simulated and team-based practice:

These are relevant if your goal is repeated, controlled practice — for example, rehearsing emergency response or interprofessional decision-making — before or alongside community placements.

How These Opportunities Connect

The through-line is interprofessionalism. RFU states that interprofessional education means students from different colleges learn with and from each other, and that this prepares them to be part of interdisciplinary teams. The ICC, the Georgia community care work, and the simulation facilities are all expressions of that same model: learners, educators, clinical partners, and community leaders collaborating around patient care.

What to Check Before You Decide

• Which college you would enroll in. RFU has six colleges — Chicago Medical School, College of Health Professions, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, and the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Access to specific clinics or teams can depend on your program.
• Whether the opportunity is student-led, faculty-supervised, or partner-run. The ICC is explicitly student-led; the Georgia work involves clinicians and external partners.
• Current availability and eligibility. The source material describes these programs but does not list schedules, application steps, or participation requirements, so confirm details directly with RFU.

The practical takeaway: if you want documented, team-based clinical and community involvement rather than simulation alone, the ICC and the Georgia community care effort are the two programs to ask about first.