Indi A Pharmacist's Medical Mission

Last Sunday at church Father Ron said something that hit home for me. He said that a mission begins with an invitation. I grew up in a rural area in the highlands of Nairobi, Kenya. Life was not easy and I always made a point of maximizing the opportunities I got. I grew up knowing that I wanted to be in a profession that really helped people improve their wellbeing. When I got the opportunity to go to university I choose to do Biomedical Science because I was very good at science and I thought that being a scientist was my calling. However, becoming an adult and having varying experiences like volunteering in a children’s home, working in the field doing research, working in a laboratory and currently working as a nurse aide has taught me

Most people volunteer because they believe it is important to help others. In the case of Saint Jude, many people rush to help because the lives of children are on the line. Many people, including doctors, spent their own money to fly out to New Orleans to help the victims of the natural disaster, either by providing free medical assistance, aiding I search and rescue, or just attending to the needs of the victims.

Jesus was the perfect missionary. Jesus went to different places and taught the word of God. Jesus drew people unto him. Jesus told his disciples, that if they follow him, he would make them fishermen of men. Jesus taught anywhere. Jesus delivered the word so profoundly.

Serving these populations is much more than serving food but also considering each individual’s unique story in its entirety. Some may have a dark past, some suffer from addiction, and others lose faith. As a hospital volunteer, I also served patients by spending quality time and assisting their needs. By simply understanding their viewpoint, I influenced them to believe in hope for a greater future. I learned that to effectively provide care for others, it is necessary to consider all the small scenes that combine to produce each person’s story. Compassion and service toward my patients are the sole ingredients for effective

When I mention “help those in need,” I do not only refer to patients in need of medical help but also to the many children and adults that do not have access to medical facilities due to the limited resources they have available. In addition, I see myself using my surgical experience to travel to third world countries to volunteer my time and energy to the medical facilities available in those regions. I am aware that to many my purpose seems a bit much or impossible, however, I will strive to achieve it because I believe everyone deserves to look forward to a light at the end of the tunnel, even if that light represents a

Sustaining missionaries already on the mission field is absolutely critical in the expanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

through volunteer service, a physician can help improve the health of the community as a whole. Throughout my life, I

What does it take to be a pharmacist? Pharmacy involves more than just handing out drugs, otherwise anyone could do it. “A pharmacist is a health professional who follows instruction from physicians regarding the amount of education to distribute” (“Pharmacy requirements”). The pharmacy profession requires a lot of education, demands patience and attentive work, provides good pay, and offers a satisfying job.

While shadowing physician assistants, I volunteered at The Mustard Seed Medical Missions, a nonprofit organization that provides medical care to those with financial hardships. My first day there I got to meet the staff who made it all happen – the two women who worked the front desk who answered phones and organized patient files, the nurse who manually took blood pressure and did a review of why the patient was attending, the phlebotomist who took blood in even the smallest of veins to run labs, the translator

Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care, the words of Theodore Roosevelt written in the radiology department at Good Samaritan Hospital, where I work as a Radiologic technologist. These words are a constant reminder of why I choose to pursue a career in medicine. Growing up in Haiti, I was an underweight, mal nourished child with a weak immune system. Sick days seemed to occur every other day. In a country with limited resources, I remember traveling with my parents to different towns in search for medicine and the right physician. We would walked miles, but no miles was ever long enough to stop my parents from getting their son the proper treatment. At a young age my parents showed me the true meaning of altruism and empathy, necessary skills needed to make a great physician. Living in poverty can have major consequences on one’s health. I witness this in my own health and those surrounding me. To survive these harsh conditions, as a community we had to stick together, we had to care for one another. We shared everything with our neighbors, from clean drinking water, food supplies, to natural herb treatment and medicine. From observing the change in lives in the community when treatment was provided, I quickly learned to values the benefits of good Health and medicine.

Volunteering means using my time to help people who can’t help themselves or is in need of help. Everytime I finish volunteering, I feel good about myself because I know I’ve just helped the community in some sort of way. A little bit of my time can mean the world to someone. I know if I continue to volunteer, I can make a greater difference in the community. I can contribute to Methodist Hospital’s mission by helping patients with whatever they need, being extremely honest and trustworthy, coming up with innovative ways to deliver service to everyone, and being open about communicating.

The valuable experience I have gained in the mission field has prepared me to work in underserved populations. I had the opportunity to travel to Haiti twice, both of which were during a devastating public health care strike that left the Haitian people without medical care. While in Haiti, I experienced events that average Americans will never witness. Upon my arrival the people of the small village learned that I was a nursing student and began approaching me with requests for medical care. With no experience and limited supplies I did my best to improvise. I encountered scared parents with children that had superficial wounds and children with rashes that covered their heads. Thankfully, I was able to offer some assistance and comfort to

Today in the 21st century the roles of pharmacist have expanded tremendously. Before pharmacist had the role of solely dispensing drugs. Pharmacists were limited to only being regulatory or clinical pharmacist. Back then they were called medical purveyors who were much like today’s regulatory pharmacist and hospital pharmacist who are similar to hospital pharmacist. Now pharmacists carry many roles in healthcare. Pharmacist can play roles in public health, community, health systems, state, and federal government.

The flow of the medical community is dependent on every person employed there. The harmony it creates does not only come from the doctors or nurses, but the janitors, surgeons, receptionists, and even the pharmacists. Each job is necessary in order for the hospitals to function properly; for instance, the doctors diagnose the patient with their illness, prescribe them medication to cure it, and send them to the pharmacist, who then gives them their medication and sends them home. However, some jobs are overlooked more than others and do not receive the proper credit, like the pharmacist. Pharmacists are recognized for dispensing and sorting drugs, but their jobs help educate patients over their prescription and uphold the

No matter what path God calls a missionary to, the initial goals are the same. These goals are: 1) Build and edify the church, 2) Meeting needs, and 3) Spread the Gospel. The task of utmost importance is that of building the church, a community of believers. It is through evangelizing that men come to hear, know, and accept the redemptive plan of God through Jesus Christ. This is done by preaching and teaching this message when opportunity arises. It is also done by living out your faith in the day to day of mission life. We are to make the book of Acts our living example in growing and edifying a body of believers (Warren 26-31) (Hodges 61-62)