Many healthcare professionals are enamored with the dream of serving forgotten people. Yet relatively few ultimately make this their career tract. Nathaniel Uhl, RN, is one of these few.
Last month he returned from a service stent at Mushili Health Center in Zambia, where he completed qualifications for the INMED Diploma in International Nursing & Public Health. We asked Nathaniel, “What steps can you recommend to help healthcare professional turn this dream of serving the poor into reality?”
I think healthcare professionals enamored with possibilities of serving the forgotten can often have a romanticized view of it, especially when this involves international travel. I know that personally this has been true of me. It is easy to romanticize it and not realize the hard work and sacrifice that is required. Tally up the pros and cons to serving the forgotten. List your fears and address each one rationally.
A next step is to get informed. Do some research, attend conferences and speak to those who have done it before. Get additional education like that offered by INMED. Find a mentor and role model serving in the area or community you want to serve and learn from their experience.
Finally, you must realize that this will be costly. You must be willing to give up wealth, comfort, luxuries and sometimes family ties. This is not always necessary but often is the case. Remember, the reward of serving the marginalized far outweighs anything you have to give up. On the contrary, you’ll be living the dream!