Each year we have the honor of hosting a group from our Alma Mater, Lee University. These groups are comprised of aspiring medical professionals with a desire to learn more about medicine and missions. We had so much fun this June with our team from Lee! They brought us totes full of medications to help stock our pharmacy shelves for the year as well as eye glasses.
This year the students were either pre-med or pre-nursing and, after seeing first hand how to care for people of all ages and many different diseases, many of the students at the end of the week talked about wanting to specialize in general practice so that they could care for a wider range of patients. The glasses station was filled with joy as smiles spread across the faces of patient after patient when they got a good fit with a pair of glasses and were finally able to see clearly. There also were many patients proud of their new stylish sunglasses.
A tremendous perk for these students is getting to work alongside and learn from doctors, PA’s, NP’s, and nurses who are all skilled in their professions. Earl “Chunky” Miller, Brandon West and Justin joined as our wonderful providers for the first week and the second week we finished the strong with Dr. Tibbedeaux, Dr. Wood and their families. The team showed resilience pushing through eight brigade days with strenuous hikes, heavy rains, and long hours. All these experiences gave the students a chance to step into the life and difficulties that our patients push through everyday. The students did a great job in various roles (even helping babysit some of our staff’s kids!) as well as having fun (including the annual lip-sync battle).
