Ivan Biley

Ivan Biley, Jr

Medical Student
Volunteer since 2005

I can easily say that volunteering at the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington (FCSW) made my dreams come true. Ever since high school, I dreamed of going to medical school to become a physician. I started volunteering at the FCSW in November of 2005, with the intention of gaining some valuable medical experience and finding out more about what doctors do. Throughout the five years at the FCSW, I was a medical/laboratory technician, an interpreter, a clerk, and more recently a Clinic Specialist.  Clinic Specialists help run clinics by managing patient flow, providing patient referrals, and supporting clinical providers with information and resources.

During my interview at University of Washington School of Medicine, about half of the questions were about my experiences at the FCSW! The interviewers seemed to be very interested in that, which was great for me because I had a lot to talk about on that topic. Thanks to the FCSW, I was accepted!

Everybody at the FCSW, staff and volunteers, are amazing! For students who plan to apply to any medical professional schools (M.D., D.O., P.A., N.P., M.P.H., etc.) I would strongly recommend volunteering at the free clinic early, preferably long before they have to apply to professional schools!

I would like to thank everybody at the FCSW for doing what they do, and for all the help and opportunities they have given me. 

Ivan I. Biley, Jr.

Note:  We would like to congratulate Ivan, and say we think he will be an excellent doctor.  Ivan interviewed at Univ. of WA Medical School on a Wednesday afternoon and was notified of his acceptance only four days later - surely reflecting his outstanding qualifications.  We would also like to thank him for his years of dedicated service.  Thank you Ivan, and best wishes for an exciting and successful future! - Free Clinic of Southwest Washington Staff & Volunteers