April 25, 2017
For today’s healthcare professionals, learning about various cultures is necessary in order to assist a more diverse population. One way to gain this knowledge is through firsthand experience—the goal of two innovative rotations in Guatemala, initiated for sixth-year students by two professors in St. John’s University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
In the historic city of Antigua in the West Indies, Ebtesam Ahmed ’07Pharm.D., an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Clinical Health Professions, and her students bring their pharmacy skills and good humor to patients at two locations: an institution whose primary purpose is to provide medical care to poor, orphaned, and abandoned individuals with various pathological problems, most of which are psychomotor impairment and cerebral palsy; and a palliative care clinic that is part of Guatemala’s National Cancer Institute.
“Some students have never been outside of New York, so this weeklong visit to Guatemala provides a significant learning experience,” said Dr. Ahmed. “Access to medications is different. There are limits to what and where we can dispense medication, and that’s very important for students to see. They become aware of drug policy on an international level.”
Learning and Teaching
Serving those in need at the two facilities is the priority, but so is educating fellow healthcare professionals. For example, Dr. Ahmed and her students help nurses learn how to most effectively administer medications to patients with swallowing issues. At the cancer clinic, Dr. Ahmed’s students explain the pharmacology of medications to medical students so that they can teach others.
These students have also completed two research projects and presented results through conference posters. One project measured nurses’ level of medication knowledge pre- and post-training, and another surveyed medical staff understanding of proper opioid use. Both projects showed improvements in local staff knowledge following training.
Becoming Team Players
Participating on a multidisciplinary medical team is the focus of the weeklong program coordinated by Chung-Shien Lee ’11Pharm.D., Assistant Clinical Professor/Industry Professional in the Department of Clinical Health Professions. Dr. Lee and his students travel to the town of Nueva Santa Rosa, an hour’s drive from the capital city, as part of a semiannual mission led by the Glens Falls Medical Mission Foundation to serve the town’s poor.
“A diverse group of healthcare professionals participate in each mission, so students learn how to work as part of a team in a somewhat stressful environment,” Dr. Lee explained. “A pharmacy is one of the services the mission provides. We are assigned a room and set it up to be a fully functioning pharmacy.”
Dr. Lee and his students see between 250 and 300 patients per day for five days. The days are long; the clinic opens at 8 a.m. and closes on some days as late as 7 p.m. Like Dr. Ahmed’s students, Dr. Lee’s group learns firsthand about access to healthcare in underdeveloped countries.
“We have many options here at home for medications and can tailor a therapy for a patient,” Dr. Lee said. “In a more rural area, you have to work with what you have, and that’s eye opening for students.”
Even though student interest in these programs is strong, many often find the cost prohibitive. That is changing thanks to the generosity of St. John’s alumni. “Following our successful 2017 gala, we now have sufficient funds to provide several scholarships for the Guatemala programs,” announced Russell J. DiGate, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. “I hope our alumni donors appreciate what an important opportunity they have helped provide for students. In today’s global society, it’s essential that pharmacists respect and respond to health beliefs and practices of diverse population groups. Just as important, though, these scholarships will allow students to serve the needy and keep the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul alive.”