First year PharmD students recently received their white coats at the annual White Coat Ceremony for the College of Pharmacy. This represents the first step for each of these individuals into the pharmacy profession.
Category Archives: College of Pharmacy
Dr. Ficzere Published in Annals of Pharmacotherapy
Dr. Cathy Ficzere of the Department of Pharmaceutical, Social and Administrative Sciences had her manuscript Curriculum and Instructional Methods for Drug Information, Literature Evaluation, and Biostatistics: Survey of Pharmacy Schools accepted for publication in the journal Annals of Pharmacotherapy. An electronic survey was developed and administered to assess pharmacy school curricula and characterize faculty qualifications, educational methods, and recent changes in drug information. The overall outcome of the study shows an increased focus on evidence-based medicine, medication safety, and informatics.
Dr. Stodghill publishes paper
Dr. Steven Stodghill, in the College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical, Social & Administrative Sciences, has had a paper accepted in Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy titled Physico-chemical characterization of a novel anti-cancer agent and its comparison to Taxol®.
Stodghill and his collaborators evaluated a model compound, JCA112, which has a very good tubulin binding ability, similar to Taxol. In earlier studies the compound did not perform well in traditional in vitro studies used to screen a New Chemical Entity. This investigation characterized the physicochemical properties of the compound including, solubility, stability, polymorphism, lipophilicity, complexation ability and permeability, leading to identification of several incompatibilities with standard in vitro screening procedures. This suggests that a thorough understanding of the pre-formulation characteristics of the drug substance is vital in understanding the potential outcome of the in vitro screening studies.
College of Health Sciences & College of Pharmacy part of community health fair at Belmont basketball game
As a show of gratitude to the University’s friends, Belmont opened its arms Jan. 28 with a Community Health Fair in the Maddox Grand Atrium of the Curb Event Center in conjunction with the men’s and women’s basketball games against Jacksonville. The free fair, co-sponsored by University Health Services, the College of Health Sciences, the College of Pharmacy and Belmont Athletics, featured 30 booths with blood pressure, body composition and bone density screenings; CPR demonstrations; and information on tobacco cessation, breast cancer awareness, diabetes, healthy eating, self defense and recreation. Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Renfrew Center, Edgehill Community Garden, Edgehill Family Resource Center, YMCA and Real Food Farms had booths.
“Belmont has always been supportive of the community and has done a lot of partnering and programming in the area surrounding campus. This (was) a continuation of those services to share information,” said Director of Health Services Katy Wilson. “Students from all of the health sciences programs, athletics department and fitness and recreation center (were) heavily involved in the fair.” Click here to view photos from the Community Health Fair.
The fair was intended to put wellness and preventive health resources within reach of Belmont’s neighbors and fans with screenings, pamphlets and prizes. Although the event marked the first Community Health Fair at Belmont, it was an extension of the annual Pink Zone through an initiative with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and Susan G. Komen for the Cure to promote breast cancer awareness. The women’s basketball team wore pink uniforms. Fans received free pink T-shirts and pom poms.
“We have been fortunate to have a long-standing relationship with Susan G. Komen’s Nashville office. They set up a table in the hope of interacting with fans on game day,” Director of Athletics Marketing Jimmy Frush said. “We chose this doubleheader to reach a wide variety of people, ages and genders and to feature the many different programs and departments with Belmont’s Health Sciences. Hopefully, it (delivered) a valuable service to the fans coming to the game.”
Healthcare among professions with the lowest unemployment
The Education, Healthcare, Business and Professional Services industries have been the most stable employers for recent college graduates. That is according to a new report by the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University.
Unemployment rates are relatively low (5.4 percent) for recent college students who majored in Healthcare and Education because these majors are attached to stable or growing industry sectors. Recent graduates in Psychology and Social Work have relatively low unemployment rates (7.3 percent) nearly half work in Healthcare and Education. More than 60 percent of these recent college graduates who are working have landed in the Healthcare, Professional Contracting Businesses or Education sectors. Students with advanced healthcare degrees fared even better. Check out the full report for more information.
Pharmacy students and faculty collect toys for children
Pharmacy students completed their toy drive for Operation Christmas Child which resulted in collecting 52 shoe boxes filled with toys for children around the world. Thanks to all students, staff and faculty who contributed. The event was sponsored by CPFI. The class that turned in the most shoe boxes were the P1’s with 32 boxes! Thanks to Dr. Hagan (pictured here with Dr. Chirico) who supported the shipping costs for the entire P1 class!
Pharmacy student receives national service award
Barnwell (right) poses for pictures with two classmates after receiving their white coats in 2010.
John Barnwell, a 3rd-year student in the PharmD program at Belmont, has received the Respect, Excellence and Service in Pharmacy (RESPy) Award for excellence in pharmaceutical care. The national award is presented by Walmart and Pharmacy Times to a student who has made a difference in his or her community demonstrated by the following criteria: voluntary public service activities, a high level of professional/public health-related activities outside the classroom and a high level of effort to advance the profession of pharmacy in the public area. Eight RESPy award winners are chosen annually and featured with an article in Pharmacy Times. RESPy winners receive a cash award and are offered a summer internship with Walmart.
Barnwell, who will graduate from the School of Pharmacy in 2013, is a founding officer of the board of directors of NotAlone.com, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing counseling for veterans with post traumatic stress disorder and their families. NotAlone.com offers online support groups, in-person counseling, and Web resources to support combat veterans and their loved ones.
Barnwell (in white coat) teaches students during this past summer's health sciences camp.
The stresses of military service are something that Barnwell understands well. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and subsequently served almost 8 years in the Army. He held a variety of positions at Fort Campbell in Kentucky and in Iraq, and was decorated with a Bronze Star and Joint Service Achievement Award for his service.
“NotAlone is such a rewarding endeavor,” says Barnwell. “Being a veteran myself, anything I can do to make life better for soldiers, veterans, and their families gives me a great sense that I am still making a difference for my brothers- and sisters-in-arms.”
Dr. Philip Johnston, Dean of the School of Pharmacy, congratulated Barnwell on receiving the RESPy, saying, “Mr. Barnwell offers his abundant energy and leadership to his profession on a daily basis; he is an inspiration to everyone. I cannot think of any one more deserving”.
The Pharmacy Times article featuring Barnwell is linked here and reprinted below.
Pharmacy students contribute to Guatemala City Surgical Center
During the past year, students from Belmont University School of Pharmacy have partnered with Nashville’s Shalom Foundation to renovate the organization’s surgical center and pharmacy in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Last fall, fourth-year pharmacy student Chris McKnight worked with the foundation to design plans for the center’s pharmacy after the entire site underwent a renovation. Although Shalom had doctors, surgeons and nurses on the board to contribute, they didn’t have pharmacists to add to the conversation. McKnight became that voice.
After spending over a week working in the center, McKnight said one of his favorite parts was, “the processes of seeing the pharmacy go from my sketches on the backs of napkins, to fruition in Guatemala City.”
Sara Poe, another fourth year student in Belmont’s program, also had the opportunity to work with the foundation’s center. She was focused on the medicine patients were being prescribed and made daily rounds to ensure accuracy and the installation of proper protocol.
Poe also spoke to the experience of working in such a clinic. “I would say that best moments of the trip came from silence, for silence meant no one was in pain and all was well down the hall. That alone has made me a different person.”
Pharmacy students reach out to Renewal House
Students in the Belmont University School of Pharmacy Classes 2013 and 2015 participated in a “Trunk or Treat” service project for Renewal House this week. Renewal House is a community where women diagnosed with the disease of addiction undergo comprehensive treatment. Not only does the professional staff at Renewal House serve women battling this disease, but they foster healing, resiliency and educational enhancement for all members of the patient’s family. Students dressed in costume and provided an afternoon of entertainment for the children living at Renewal House.
Belmont students earn trip to national Clinical Pharmacy Challenge
Students from Belmont University School of Pharmacy are among eight elite teams competing in this weekend’s national Clinical Pharmacy Challenge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sponsored by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), the competition began weeks ago with student teams from 86 pharmacy schools throughout the United States. The Belmont team has advanced through several online rounds of competition and will face a team from Campbell University School of Pharmacy on Saturday in the national quarterfinals. If they continue to win, they will advance to the semifinals on Sunday afternoon and finals on Monday morning. Each match is divided into 3 segments: a trivia/lightning segment, a clinical case segment, and a Jeopardy-style segment.
Members of Belmont’s team include: Kimberly Bentley, a third-year student; Rebecca Lucas, a fourth-year student; and Lee Rembert, a fourth-year student. Team alternates include: John Barnwell and Cortney Manning, both third-year students. Serving as faculty sponsors for the team are Dr. Cathy Ficzere and Dr. Rachel Franks.
According to Dr. Ficzere, “Our students would not be able to accomplish what they have done without the foundation they have received here at Belmont. The questions that they have to answer cover almost every aspect of pharmacy practice. They must draw upon knowledge of pharmacologic and pharmacokinetic drug activity, current recommendations for drug therapy, and biostatistics and clinical trial design. Added to this, they must answer the questions as a team, under time constraints, and, in some cases, choosing the best answer, not a ‘black-and-white’ right answer.”
Dr. Philip Johnston, School of Pharmacy Dean, added: “We are in some tough company in the finals, but we have been competing with well established schools in all the previous rounds and obviously scoring very well. What is so impressive to me is that we have students competing who have not completed all of their electives nor their final clinical rotations, yet are showing they have great critical thinking skills, work well as a team, and can apply their knowledge. We are absolutely thrilled with the success of the team, the faculty coaches and supporters, and happy that this reflects well on Belmont.”
The other six teams in the quarterfinals, in addition to those from Belmont and Campbell, are from pharmacy schools at Butler University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, University of the Pacific, University of Utah, and Western University of Health Sciences.
More information about the competition and results this weekend can be found at www.accp.com/stunet.
UPDATE: The Belmont University School of Pharmacy rose above 85 competing schools to rank No. 5 in a national pharmacy and clinical skills competition. The team lost to Campbell University College of Pharmacy by less than 300 points in the quarter-final match. Both teams were quick on the buzzer and displayed a broad knowledge of clinical pharmacy. Ultimately, the winner of the match came down to the last 300 point question.
College of Health Sciences hosts health fair
Fourth-year pharmacy student Elizabeth Cain spent Wednesday morning using free hand sanitizer to lure passers-by to visit her peers at Belmont’s first Health Fair. The fair offered an unprecedented opportunity for Cain’s classmates to gain hands-on experience while on campus, she said.
“This is a great opportunity for students to test their skills, give flu shots and glucose tests. It is a great way for us to share our knowledge,” said Cain while volunteering at the fair. “It is a free service with informative information, and it showcases the graduate schools that are taking part.”
Students and faculty from the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing joined with University Health Services to host the five-hour Health Fair which put wellness and preventive health resources within reach of employees and students with free health screenings, pamphlets and prizes. The event in the McWhorter Hall and the Inman Center lobbies marked the launch of a year of monthly seminars on health and wellness as well as current events in health care. It also showed people the unique resources we have right here on our campus, said Director of Health Services Katy Wilson.
“We wanted to make people aware of programs we have and wellness opportunities in the Belmont community,” said Christin Murphy, a graduate assistant in the Department of Fitness and Recreation. She took the body mass index of people who stopped at her booth and encouraged them to lower their numbers by signing up for personal training sessions and fitness classes in Beaman.
“It is important to get out to students that health care is important at any age. This fair could persuade undergrads to consider careers in the health sciences field,” said fourth-year pharmacy student Amanda Harris.
“We are developing a drug education program and need to conduct surveys on drug abuse on college campuses,” said third-year pharmacy student Jaime Tausend, also head of Generation Rx, a patient care project through the American Pharmacy Association that educates people about prescription drug abuse prevention. “The fair lets me reach out to college kids I would not see in the community and get the word out to faculty and staff to help us jump start our program”
The Health Fair coincided with lectures on bath salt abuse, building relationships with healthcare providers and total-body wellness for colleges students. During “10 Things Every College Student Needs to Know About Their Health,” physical therapy students discussed healthy eating, gym etiquette and sleep deprivation as well as shared free smart phone applications to help students tract their calorie intake and jogging routes.
Opportunities throughout the day included: blood pressure, glucose, lipids and bone density screenings; backpack awareness and CPR demonstrations; and information on tobacco cessation, breast cancer awareness, counseling, healthy eating, self defense and recreation.
Wilson said Health Services plans to host a similar health fair during a spring basketball game to reach Belmont’s neighbors and sports fans.
Pharmacy students complete service project
Students in the Belmont University School of Pharmacy Classes 2013 and 2015 recently participated in a service project for Preston Taylor Ministries. This non-profit organization serves students (K-12) in the local area by providing educational and faith-based initiatives. Preston Taylor Ministries was founded in 1998 to confront problems such as drug use, gang related activities, teenage pregnancy, illiteracy and poor school performance. The Belmont students donated cleaning supplies and their time to make this a welcoming and safe environment for all those who attend after school programs.
Faculty from university in Iraq visit Belmont School of Pharmacy
Belmont University recently hosted faculty from Hawler Medical University in Arbil, capital of Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Belmont Professor and Chair of Pharmaceutical Science Andy Webster and Director of International Student Services Kathryn Skinner oversaw the training of the four faculty members from Hawler’s College of Pharmacy in health care informatics, pharmacy management and administration, communication, counseling and patient assessment, and didactic and clinical experiential education.Discussions included syllabus design and development, introduction to modern pedagogical principles and practices and an introduction to designing, developing and maintaining contemporary clinical practice environments. The Kurdish faculty became qualified as affiliate faculty members of Belmont’s School of Pharmacy.
Webster visited Kurdish Iraq in 2009 and was appointed to the Kurdistan Regional Government Curriculum Development Project.
“The focus of this project was to modify and update the professional pharmacy curriculum for the colleges of pharmacy in the Kurdish region of Iraq. This newly developed curriculum provides students a broad, solid grounding in the basic and clinical sciences, epistemologies and values that define contemporary pharmacy practice,” Webster said. “This sets a new educational standard for both students and faculty in that area of the world.”
Pharmacy Professor Published in Cancer Research Journal
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences Assistant Professor Edgar S. Diaz-Cruz had an article on published in the Cancer Research Journal on Aug. 15. The article, titled “Comparison of increased aromatase versus ERa in the generation of mammary hyperplasia and cancer,” discusses whether development of breast cancer caused by over-expression of the receptor results from the same or different aberrant molecular pathways than that induced by increased local estrogen production through mammary-targeted aromatase expression.
Pharmacy Student Begins Community Walking Club
from Juanita Cousins
Belmont University
Since beginning her morning walking routine, Edgehill Apartments resident Sandra Chandler has felt less arthritis aches in her knees.
Thanks to a Belmont University pharmacy student’s mission project, she also has learned to drink a gallon of water daily, eat six small meals a day, cook with whole wheat flour and fill half of her plate with fruits and vegetables.
Fourth-year pharmacy student Adam Culbertson laid the trail for the Edgehill Rose Park Walking Club, a group of neighbors, civic leaders and Belmont University athletes who walk from 7 to 9 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He began the walking club in July to fulfill the mission portion of required rotations for Belmont pharmacy students and is relying on University athletes and civic leaders to continue the program.
“My goal was to go into an underserved community and give them something that they could do themselves and is sustainable,” he said. “I talked with community leaders about their wants and needs, and (Family Resource Center Director) Brenda Morrow said, ‘Why not get them outside and create goals for the adults and get sports players from the school to teach kids basic skills?’”
Pharmacy Faculty, Student Participate in AACP Annual Meeting
Eight of the Belmont University School of Pharmacy faculty and one student pharmacist recently traveled to San Antonio to participate in the 2011 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting, themed Bridges to Our Bright Future. At the event Shanna N. Harris was recognized as a Walmart pharmacy scholar, sponsored by Dr. Marilyn E. Thompson Odom. Belmont presented four posters, titled “Meeting Market Needs: Curricular Concentration Requirement to Broaden Student Career Prospects,” “Support Groups and Identity: Influence on Setting and Achieving Goals in Persons with Type 2 Diabetes,” “An On-Campus Community Pharmacy to Support Medication Safety Skills: Use of a Unique Educational Resource” and “Development and Implementation of a Collaborative Interprofessional Learning Program.” In addition, three Belmont faculty served as delegates, or alternate delegate, in the AACP House of Delegates, and Dr. Andrew Webster, chair of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Belmont, served as academic section officer and chair-elect of the section on chemistry. Faculty who were meeting participants, presenters, delegates, or alternate delegate included Drs. Cathy Ficzere, Angela Hagan, Condit Steil, Hope Campbell, Ken Reed and Phil Johnston.
Pharmacy Students Lead Summer Day Camp
Students in Belmont’s School of Pharmacy hosted a Health Sciences Summer Day camp for 18 local middle and high school students this past week. After a morning orientation, the students, who came from Harvest Hands community development organization, were presented a healthcare scenario that involved a patient with high blood pressure. After breaking into teams, the students were then taught to take pulse and blood pressure readings on SimMen in the Inman Center labs.
Following lunch, the students participated in a problem solving process in the Drug Information Center where they searched for the formula for Lisinopril liquid, a common drug for treating hypertension. The students were then able to go to a chemistry lab in McWhorter Hall to see how the drug was made and later watched a video of the patient (SimMan) receiving and responding to the medication. Before departing, all of the students received certificates for their participation in Belmont’s Health Sciences Summer Day Camp.
Health sciences students serve at local community health fair
Earlier this spring, students from the College of Health Sciences served at a health fair at the I.W. Gernert High-Rise in Nashville’s Edgehill community. Students from the School of Pharmacy explained and recruited individuals for a pharmacy needs assessment and students from the School of Nursing did respiratory system assessments and patient education. The health fair was planned and executed in part by members of the Nursing Education Partnering for Community Health Improvement (NEPCHi). Dr. Ruby Dunlap, Associate Professor of Nursing at Belmont, is chair of NEPCHi for 2011 and coordinated student participation in the health fair. In addition to Belmont’s College of Health Sciences, partners with NEPCHi include Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Tennessee State University School of Nursing, Metro Public Health Department, the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, and Tennessee State’s Extension services. NEPCHi is also facilitating a joint pharmacy study by Vanderbilt School of Nursing, Belmont School of Pharmacy, and the Edgehill community leadership.
Dr. Andy Webster Published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education
Dr. Andy Webster, Professor of Pharmacy, has co-authored an article published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. The paper is titled Pharmacy Faculty Workplace Issues: Findings From the 2009-2010 Council of Deans – Council of Faculties Joint Task Force on Faculty Workforce. Many factors contribute to the vitality of an individual faculty member, a department and an entire academic organization. Some of the relationships among these factors are well understood, but many questions remain unanswered.
The authors examined the literature on faculty workforce issues. They identified and focused on 4 unique but interrelated concepts: organizational culture/climate, role of the department chair, faculty recruitment and retention, and mentoring. Among all four resides the need to consider issues of intergenerational, intercultural, and gender dynamics.
A Plea for Help
2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
Friends, family, and colleagues,
Those of you who have kept up with this blog know that our experiences here at Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE (SHCH) have been invaluable. From day one, we were welcomed with open arms and unbelievably warm hearts. The nurses and staff here have given us more experiences and love than we could have dreamed. We had the privilege of being the recipients of these generous hearts for three weeks, but the patients that depend on SHCH for medical and nursing care get that love every day.
It is with great sadness that we report that after 15 years of serving Cambodia’s poor, Sihanouk Hospital is facing a significant financial crisis. Losing some of its greatest benefactors to the tsunami and earthquakes in Japan, SHCH is at a crossroads. They give hope to the people of Cambodia who are unable to pay for needed medical care. The employees and staff that have become our friends and extended family give 100% of themselves to this organization every day because they believe in what they do. They will soon be out of work. The nursing and pharmacy students who have been lucky enough to visit over the years have been witness to the unbelievable quality of care given by SHCH’s health care team. The experiences they’ve had have changed and will continue to change their lives forever, but if the hospital closes, new classes and generations of Belmont students will never have the chance.
We are sending out a plea to any and all people who have benefited from Belmont’s Cambodia mission, be it former students, family members who have seen what an impact this experience has had on your loved ones, or blog readers who are moved by what you read here. We know how important SHCH has been to this country and just cannot stand to see it disappear. We truly believe that God sent us here for a reason, and this is it. This is how we can give back to Cambodia what it has given to us. Together, we can save the hospital! In order to keep the hospital at full capacity, we are setting a fundraising goal of $200,000 – an amount that, in the grand scheme of things, is a small price to pay for all the good things done here, and an amount that with God’s help can be exceeded. If we know just 200 people that could give $1000 a piece, we can save the hospital and the community of hope built by SHCH.
We reach out to you – those we know care about the people of Cambodia – to rise to the occasion! Please find it in your hearts to donate – even the smallest amount brings us that much closer to our goal. Also, share this page with your friends and family by copying this message to your Facebook page!
Follow this link to donate: https://www.hopeww.org/NetCommunity/SSLPage.aspx?pid=749
(Please be sure to include “Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE – Belmont University” in the comment box under “Additional Information”)
Never-ending thanks for the love and support you have given us!
Sincerely,
The 2011 Belmont Cambodia Mission Team
Surviving the “Dry Season”
2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Rachel Franks, School of Pharmacy
This is my very first blogging experience so please bear with me! I am excited to be able to blog about today, somewhat because it’s my birthday, but mainly because of what an AMAZING day we had. We are in the distant Ratanakiri province and after having to endure the 12 hour bus ride on a bumpy dirt road to get here, our day today has made it worth every mile. We had a very adventurous day!
We began our day by eating breakfast poolside. I would describe our hotel as a resort in the middle of a tropical garden. The buildings were carved out wood and the grounds were filled with deep green leaves and bright pink and orange flowers.
Our first adventure was swimming in a waterfall. We were so excited to be able to go swimming because the climate in Cambodia is extremely hot and humid. I am originally from Florida and I thought it was hot and humid there, little did I know, it can actually be worse! The waterfall was surreal like something from a movie set. The water felt great! Since we were the only one’s there it felt like our own secret playground. We swam around and climbed on the rocks. Some students claimed they could feel fish gently nibbling on their legs and feet. Luckily, this did not happen to me!
Farewell for now…
2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Suzanne Hutson, Nursing Student
As the week comes to an end our group is met with a bitter-sweet feeling. We must say goodbye to our new friend Cambodia and say hello again to our loved ones.
Today we said goodbye to our wonderful friends at the hospital. One of the nurses made us a feast that was served Cambodian style, called “hot pot”. There is a hot plate with a pot of broth in the middle of the table with vegetables, meats, noodles, and other yummy things such as pork rinds to put in the pot for cooking. It was a huge meal and we shared it with our friends who showed their immense appreciation. We tried to express our gratitude to them since we have found them to be truly servant-hearted, gracious, generous and full of love. We were showered with gifts. Different team members expressed their feelings and explained that our experience here in Cambodia has been one full of love. The main highlight that most everyone from the 2011 team shares about this country is the love. We can sure learn from this abundance of love!
Back in Phnom Penh
2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Cody Chlasta, Nursing Student
We are back in Phnom Penh and starting home visits outside the city while the rest of the group is working in the hospital. Today was my first day back in the hospital since arriving from Ratanakiri. My clinical experience today was spent in the OR where I was able to witness a surgery on a patient who had been cut by a large knife or sword on both hands. It is only the second surgery I have seen, but I would like to try and compare and contrast the two. First of all the one I saw in the U.S. was an open heart surgery while the one I witness here in Cambodia was a reconstruction of the patients hands and wrists, so the surgeries had many procedural differences already. The surgery here had already started when I arrived in the OR. The surgeon started work on the left hand where he needed to fix two broken fingers through the use of screws and repairing tendons in the wrist. The same was done for the patient’s right hand as well. From what I saw everything the surgeon did for the patient here would have been done for a patient in the U.S. But like I said I have not witnessed this type of surgery yet in the United States. As for the staff in the room it was very much the same as in the U.S minus the perfusionist who is used in an open heart surgery and was not needed for this procedure. There was a first assistant who was helping the surgeon directly with the surgery whether it was cutting sutures or helping with moving the patient’s body into the correct position. There was also the anesthesiologist who monitored the patient’s vitals and another nurse assisting with supplies and lighting. Compared to the surgery I witnessed in the U.S I would say there is not much difference except for maybe the equipment here is slightly older. I left the OR feeling fascinated about how much they can repair the body after such extensive damage.
Perspective of an Overwhelmed Soul
2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
Arin Turnham, Nursing Student
So many wonderful experiences occurred today. We all went to church at the Phnom Penh Church of Christ from 9:30 until 12:00. The speaker covered the subject of second chances and used Jonah as a Biblical example of how God seeks people out regardless of what trials and tribulations are happening in our lives. Three different people shared their experiences of second chances and every one of them were very moving. After church, we got to see a man be baptized.
Once we left the church, we then rode the bus to participate in a rice drive for different families who are in need of food for themselves and baby formula for their children. From the second I stepped off the bus and
looked into the eyes of the beautiful people, I was instantly moved. Regardless of what these families lack they expressed a happiness that I have never witnessed before. Boys around the age of 7 were holding their infant-aged siblings as if they were their fathers. Every child took care of one another. Many of the breathtaking mothers are currently pregnant. I met one woman who was holding a baby and is expecting her 9th child within the next few months. Another woman has four children and has not received contact from her husband since the last time she saw him four months ago when he left for work as a fisherman. She and her family live in a two room house that is the size of many living rooms in a middle class American home. This woman
held such dignity and optimism when I was around her, and it really amazed me that she could have such a beautiful outlook on life when it seemed like she was in a binding situation. It was truly moving.
Saturday
2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Daniel Stirling, Pharmacy Class of 2013
On Saturday the group woke up early and made a short but interesting drive from Stung Treng to Kratie. There we witnessed a true rarity, freshwater dolphin. In Cambodia these playful and enigmatic creatures number less than 100. A boat ride on the Mekong let us observe them upfront and in person. We then headed back to Phnom Penh, our Cambodian home away from home. By the time we reached our destination we were physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted from the previous days, but, as we have recently become accustomed too, had little time to rest. In this case we were all very glad for this as we were treated to an amazing home cooked meal from Ohmpea, Susan Taplin’s driver and dear friend. Not only were we provided with various dishes including chicken, fish, noodles, but we heard great stories and singing from Ohmpea himself. It was refreshing to see the bond Susan and Ohmpea had with each other, a true friendship that neither time nor distance could hinder; a friendship that should be an example to all of us.