“I dream of serving the world’s most poor, but I’m a pharmacist. What could I do?” Actually, the world is filled with opportunities for pharmacists. Your special skills in designing and utilizing disease/syndrome management protocols can lend order to the often-chaotic world of low-resource healthcare. Your experience in healthcare safety monitoring can catch the errors that frequently become embedded and then threaten lives unnecessarily. Pharmacists, your toxicology insights can unravel the mysteries of ingestions and intoxications. Would that you’d come with me to Angola and investigate our epidemic of herb-related liver failure.
“I’m a nurse. Is there anything substantial I could offer?” Nurses bring their particular strengths in patient education, maternal-newborn health, and their wisdom into the social and behavioral elements of preventive healthcare that are so regularly overlooked in the hospital settings. To further encourage undergraduate-prepared nurses and advanced practice nurses, INMED in 2017 launched the International Nursing and Public Health Hybrid Course, and the Diploma in International Nursing and Public Health which includes an formative, supervised service experiences around the globe.
“I’m just an undergrad. Too young, right?” Not so. Visionary undergrads, like those in the photo above, took part in last month’s Humanitarian Health Conference. INMED also offers undergrads month-long learning-experiences in developing nations, leading to a Diploma in International Public Health. Add that to your résumé, and INMED will also negotiate with your school to achieve academic credit for your study.
What is the most important qualification to participate in healthcare among the most marginalized? Simply a willing spirit. On top of this, add your professional skill, and the dream can become reality.