Pharmacist Involvement in Medical Missions
When the team returns home, it is sometimes easy for mission participants to quickly forget about what happened during the trip and go back to routine life, but the work of the mission is not yet done. The team should acknowledge donors and other contributors to the mission trip by sending them thank-you cards or souvenirs from the trip. Faculty and students should reflect on their experiences and evaluate the trip. They may also share their experiences with other students, faculty, and staff at their institution through lunch-and-learn sessions or special forums; outside the institution, mission experiences can be described through abstract or poster presentations, articles, and podium presentations to encourage others in the pharmacy community to get involved in medical missions.
Mission trips provide a rewarding and enjoyable venue for pharmacists and pharmacy students to use their knowledge, skills, and values to address health care disparities and provide culturally competent patient care to individuals in need. However, mission trips tend to be time-consuming and emotionally draining. Team members may feel they have barely made a dent in the often enormous challenges that color the lives of the people they served during the mission. Nonetheless, involving students in mission trips can better prepare them to become servant-leaders not only at their practice sites but also in their community. Leading mission trips can provide pharmacy educators an opportunity to serve not only their community but also disadvantaged people around the world.
Reflecting on the Experience
When the team returns home, it is sometimes easy for mission participants to quickly forget about what happened during the trip and go back to routine life, but the work of the mission is not yet done. The team should acknowledge donors and other contributors to the mission trip by sending them thank-you cards or souvenirs from the trip. Faculty and students should reflect on their experiences and evaluate the trip. They may also share their experiences with other students, faculty, and staff at their institution through lunch-and-learn sessions or special forums; outside the institution, mission experiences can be described through abstract or poster presentations, articles, and podium presentations to encourage others in the pharmacy community to get involved in medical missions.
Mission trips provide a rewarding and enjoyable venue for pharmacists and pharmacy students to use their knowledge, skills, and values to address health care disparities and provide culturally competent patient care to individuals in need. However, mission trips tend to be time-consuming and emotionally draining. Team members may feel they have barely made a dent in the often enormous challenges that color the lives of the people they served during the mission. Nonetheless, involving students in mission trips can better prepare them to become servant-leaders not only at their practice sites but also in their community. Leading mission trips can provide pharmacy educators an opportunity to serve not only their community but also disadvantaged people around the world.
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