Emily Schwartz is a wonderful example of the enthusiasm that characterizes students pursuing the INMED International Medicine Diploma Program. When applying she commented, “I believe that God put me on this earth for a purpose, and gave me a desire to study medicine for a reason. I believe that He wants me to share not only His truth and His life, but also the healing that comes from medical care. I believe He has given me great compassion for those who are suffering, as well as a vision for caring for His children in the future.” It is this sort of compassion and commitment that motivates health professionals to breakaway from the security and comforts of home and move out to where the suffering is greatest.
Emily is a physician’s assistant student at Philadelphia University. She studied through INMED at the Mushili Health Center in the Copper Belt of northern Zambia, Africa. In this remote region malnutrition, malaria, TB, HIV, polio, anemia, and burns are common, and infant mortality approaches a startling 70 percent. Emily’s primary mentor was Dr. Andy Mtambo, who guided her through the paces of caring for clinic patients, well child visits, vaccinations and prenatal care.
When reflecting on her month in Zambia, Emily concluded: “This experience has impacted my life greatly – being with the others at the mission, as well as experiencing healthcare in another country. I’ve come to love Zambia, and I hope God will bring me back. I think the most valuable aspect of the experience was seeing the challenges that healthcare providers in Zambia face, with the lack of resources, language barriers, lack of health education on the part of the nationals. My goal was to learn how healthcare systems operate in a third-world country and begin to learn what needs to be done to make the operations better. I believe that I did begin this process, thanks to INMED.”