Dominica Reflection

When I signed up for the Dominica Rotation I never expected that it would have such a great impact on my future as a pharmacist. I feel extremely honored that I was able to be a part of this rotation! I met wonderful future pharmacists and worked with current pharmacists who are making a big difference in an entire country. I hope that in the future I will be able to continue making a difference in Dominica and be able to share my experiences with everyone I know.

I learned so much while I was in Dominica. I not only learned about herbal and bush medicine, but I also learned about humanity and a culture that is completely different than the United States. Domincan's are extremely caring and very friendly to new people. They open their arms to all which was seen by the staff at Jungle Bay as well as each member of the community. There was not a day that went by that I didn't meet someone who was wonderful and giving.

The schools that we attended were incredible as well. The teachers were wonderful with their students and each student was unique! They welcomed us into their classrooms to share with them and also to learn from them! We were able to work with the students and teach them about pharmacy and what we will do as future pharmacists. We also spent time getting to know the students and what they wanted to do when they were done with school. We were able to meet various members of their families within the community and also at the schools.

The health clinics were a wonderful way that we talked with individuals in the community. We shared our expert information with people and they really listened to what we had to say! It was also nice being able to spend as much time as we needed to with patients! Sometimes at work in the US we don't have as much time to sit down with patients and answer all of the questions that they may have. It was a very refreshing experience and made me realize the importance of finding the time for each patient! We held the first health fair ever in Dominica which gave community members a chance to ask questions, take home informative pamphlets and various gifts we had for different disease states. This will only continue to grow and be successful in the future which will mean making a difference in more people's lives!


Overall, I am very happy with everything that I learned on the rotation as well as everything I was able to contribute to the community!

My future in Pharmacy

Going into college I knew that I wanted to be part of a profession where I could give back when I was done with school. If you look at any profession, there are ways that we can give back. As a pharmacist I will continue to work with students and help them as they progress to their individual careers. I will also make sure to stay in touch with students so that I can offer them support or help whenever they need it in the future. I think that it is important to be a mentor for other students. Along with helping other students, I am also enthusiastic about being able to help people with my medical knowledge. Ever since I was young I would participate in volunteer events where I could help people. As a pharmacist I would love to travel to communities and other countries where I could help people and provide medical services to them. It has always been a dream to me!

Thoughts before we Depart

As our trip approaches this week I am becoming much more excited about our travel! It will be a wonderful experience working with other students and health care professionals in Dominica. I have been viewing pictures online and spending time looking at the resort web-site and I am ready to go! I still have to pack which is proving to be difficult because I often pack as though I am moving places. I will have to go through my lit of items that I am to bring to Dominica and see if I am over packing.

Cultural Competence

After reviewing the notes and engaging in discussion about cultural competence I feel as though I have a better understanding of the importance of it as we near traveling to Dominica. Although I am not as familiar with the people of Dominica as I would like to be now, I am confident that I will learn a lot while I am there. In every profession it is important to have cultural competence because you are constantly dealing with a multitude of people from various backgrounds.

Taking the quiz allowed me to realize various areas where I am not strong in cultural competence and I will continue to improve upon those areas not only while in Dominica but also while I am working in various communities as a pharmacy student and pharmacist.

It was great talking with the other students and learning traditions and various foods that we have learned to grow up with. It was also interesting to discuss that some people still demonstrate racism and are less understanding of other cultures.

Professionalism

In our discussion today I learned how important professionalism is as a pharmacist and student. Professionalism is necessary as a pharmacist when working with patients, peers and other health care professionals. As a student in pharmacy school I feel as though i have tried to be professional in all activities that I do. By demonstrating professionalism we are able to uphold the ethical standards that we have been taught.

Japan Vs United States

When you compare Japan and the United States, at first glance there aren’t a lot of differences between the two. Overall, Japan has a smaller population size, decreased probability of a child dying under 5 or 15, a lower birth rate, increased life expectancy and decreased health expenditure per capita.  When you look at the rate of occurrence of specific diseases you see quite a difference. For instance, the rate of mumps is 179 in Japan vs 0 in US, tetanus is 104 in Japan vs 0 in US, rubella is 89 in Japan vs 0 in US, pertussis 5406 in Japan vs 0 in US, measles is 450 in Japan and 0 in US. This is most likely due to the fact that there are no routine vaccinations for several of these diseases including mumps, HiB and rotavirus. Also if you compare the two countries, there are more people per mile square in Japan than in the United States.

Rotation experiences

From looking at the book that Jeanine sent us about Dominica I have become even more interested and excited to travel to Dominica. Today was great being able to listen to the other students share their stories about last week as well as on their research that they had done on various countries. I am excited to learn more about different herbal therapies and natural remedies. I think it will also be nice learning from people who work with these herbs daily.