Last fall, executive MBA students Joe Coyle, Scott Walker, Mitch Baker and Tim Docherty got a different look at what it means to be “men and women for and with others,” when they partnered with The Clinic for their project for their team consulting class.

The Clinic is a not-for-profit medical center in Phoenixville, Pa. that caters to the uninsured by providing free healthcare services to its patients.  Last fall it was featured in People Magazine and on the Today Show, prompting an influx in requests from around the country seeking guidance on how to start similar clinics.  That’s where the students stepped in.

“Their core mission is to provide service to their patient, not to help people start other clinics,” Coyle said.  “We saw that as an area where we could help.” So the clinic could keep its focus on its patients, the team of students worked to address the requests by creating a “how to” manual others could follow to replicate The Clinic’s success in their own communities.

“The idea was that, following the Today Show feature, they’d be able to give something tangible right away to people interested in starting their own clinics,” said Walker

To map The Clinic’s success, the team made several trips to its facilities to learn the ins and outs of its operation.

“We interviewed employees in every department to see what they did, how they did it, and why they did things in a certain way,” Walker said.  “From the information we gathered, we were able to build off of a generic ‘how to’ manual [on starting non-profits] and were able to personalize it so it reflected The Clinic’s and add an executive summary.”

Through meetings with The Clinic’s founders Dr. Lorna B. Stuart and the Reverend Marie Z. Swayze, and Executive Director Krystine Sipple, the students were able to develop a clearer understanding of the non-profit’s mission and goals.

“The drive and vision of the founders is what’s made it so successful,” Coyle said.  “They understood what they wanted to do and realized that they couldn’t be all things to all people.  They focused on their core services.”

But The Clinic wasn’t the only beneficiary of the student’s work.  The team had a lot to take away from their experience with The Clinic that goes far beyond the “A” they received for the project.

“We initially thought it would be a good organization to work with, and our experiences working with them and seeing their genuine spirit and passion for what they do really validated our choice,” said Docherty.  “There’s no financial incentive for what they doing.  They’re not in this for any other reason than to help their fellow man.”

“From a classroom perspective it was a good educational experience.  I had no prior experience in external consulting and I learned that it’s sometimes just a matter of being helpful and lending a pair of hands,” said Baker.  “And the personal takeaway was that I felt really good about working with a client that has such a worthy cause.”

And though their work on the project is over, the team plans to continue their relationship with The Clinic even past graduation.  First up, The Clinic’s annual golf outing fundraiser in June.

--Carolyn Steigleman