We have been without Internet access on the ship since we started sailing. I finally managed to gain access to the ship’s non-classified Internet network today. I am happy to be able to send this update regardless of the rather slow connection.  We had our first orientation at the pharmacy department of the hospital ship on Friday, 05/25/2012, hours before we headed for Indonesia, from Guam. The Navy Pharmacists and technicians were very personable and down-to-earth. They made us all feel at home and got us integrated in their plans seamlessly. They discussed the formulary on the ship and the various disease states they expect to treat on the mission.  Their IV room is fitted with two barrier isolators used for sterile compounding. They sit pretty low and are not adjustable; I’ll definitely need a stool to use them. After orientation we wasted no time in attending to the pre-packaging of medications for the various missions. The team of volunteers and Navy personnel at the pharmacy department struck a very productive rapport right from the onset. We accomplished a lot on our first day working together. We took a break in the afternoon to watch the ship pull out of the docking area. It was an awesome sight seeing this huge ship being pulled out by two small tugboats.

I slept like a baby on my first night on this ship. The gentle rocking of the ship on the water makes for a good night sleep. This rocking of the ship however makes me a little dizzy during the day. I started wearing a sea band yesterday. That stuff works!  We have basically been at the Pharmacy department during the last 4 days of sailing preparing medication and supplies for the mission. Our department is essentially the fulcrum of this mission. There is therefore the need to ensure that we are ready to go when we reach land.  Thankfully everybody in the department is dedicated to the mission and is working very hard to make sure that we meet our objectives. Alexis and I have been familiarizing ourselves with the various disease states we will be treating with the medications we have on board. The sheer volume and variety of these medications have serves as a good revision for me personally.  I have been particularly impressed by the importance and resources allocated to this mission. There are over a thousand volunteers and military personnel on this ship and the provision of nourishment and lodging for us, together with the colossal amount of medications and supplies for the mission have got to run into millions of dollars. It is a very considerate and selfless on the part of the U.S government to devote these resources to provide much needed health care for the under-served populations in the world. Every American should be proud of what our country is doing out here! We will be in Indonesia tomorrow. I hope we will have a more reliable internet access. Then again I will not get my hopes up for that because we will be stationed on a remote Island delivering care to the locals. I will however keep you posted anyway I can.

Our mission officially begins today! We raise anchor in the next 5 hours. Officials have been welcoming hundreds of volunteers onto the ship over the last 3 days. All is now set for us to depart Guam. We muster at 0925. This is the Navy way of conducting a roll call to ensure that everybody on the mission is accounted for and that nobody is left behind.

The sense of discipline and professionalism on the part of the Navy and the mission as a whole is quite striking. Everybody out here follows the rules without question and this engenders a high level of harmony and order. Why can’t society as a whole live like this?

I have also been very pleased with the sense of camaraderie among the volunteers on this mission. I have within the last 3 days met some wonderful human beings whose acts and stories of selflessness fill me with awe and also hope for mankind. A very experienced surgeon with years of service under his belt on our team told me how he decided to quit his practice and spend the rest on his years in practice volunteering for mission like these. A nurse practitioner had to quit his job just to be on this mission because they will not sanction the live of absence she requested for to be on this mission. She states: “I do not have a job to go back to but they opportunity to be of service to people who really need them is enough for me”. These individual receives not remuneration whatsoever to be on this mission. They rather PAY monies by way of airfares and other incidental to serve mankind! The world will truly be a far better place if there were enough of these angels I see on this ship. These individuals and stories put in sharp focus my duties and obligation as a healthcare professional. I am  honored to serve on this mission with them. My presence here will no doubt change, charge and challenge my outlook as a health care professional.

We will be sailing for 6 days. We will be keeping ourselves busy during this time repackaging medications and getting the medical supplies ready for our first mission in Indonesia. Keep following…..

I woke up today at 0600 (already talking like a military person), after spending a night on a military ship or any ship for that matter for the first time.  Alexis and I touched down at Guam at about 2130 yester night. That will be 730am EST (Guam is ahead by about 14 hours). Our 14-hour flight from Washington to Tokyo, Japan wasn’t as bad as I though it will be.  I kept myself entertained and busy through out the flight. Two movies, a lot of reading, some short naps later, we were in Japan. Our connecting flight to Guam was airborne in about an hour after we arrived at Tokyo. We searched the airport for our welcome party, after going through immigrations here in Guam.  Three military personnel greeted us 20 minutes later and drove us to the Naval base where we boarded this USNS Mercy.

 The USNS mercy is a gigantic ship! It is literally a fully functional, high-tech hospital on water. It is a 7-floor health facility with over 1000 beds. Originally built as an oil tanker, SS Worth in 1976, the ship was converted to a hospital ship, renamed USNS Mercy and launched on 20 July 1985. USNS Mercy Mercy’s primary mission is to provide rapid, mobile acute medical and surgical services to support Armed forces deployed ashore. Additionally, the ship provides mobile surgical hospital service for appropriate US Government agencies in disaster or humanitarian relief missions.

On board the ship, I was escorted to my berthing (sleeping) area and shown my bunk and lockers. I must say that life on a military ship is not for the claustrophobic. The spaces are pretty tight and being on the topmost part of my bunk bed, I literally hit the ceiling every time I turn on my bed. The heads (bathrooms) are pretty clean and as is the case with everything out here comes with specific rules. I just have to learn to take 2-minute showers! I feel like I am back in my boarding school days all over again.

We received a tour of the ship this morning and conducted our formal check-in into the ship since we were unable to do it yesterday due to our late arrival. It will definitely take me a few days to find my way in this ship! I always have to ask for directions every time I decide to wander off! That’s how big this ship is!

We set sail for Indonesia on the morning of Friday, 05/25/2012. In the meantime we are getting ourselves adjusted to life on a ship and touring the beautiful Island of Guam. I am writing this submission from a pub outside the Naval base, the Internet on the ship is pretty unreliable. I may therefore not be able to keep you updated as often as I will like to while on board the ship. I will however keep you posted whenever the opportunity presents itself. Keep reading, this is going to be a-thrill-of-a-ride!!!  

USNS Mercy, Day 1

Today is our first full day aboard the USNS Mercy.. After arriving late last night and being almost 11:30pm before settling into bed, we were up early for breakfast at 6:30 and then the official tour! It's been an overwhelming day but definitely getting used to the routine already. Food isn't bad at all, and there are plenty of options! Our preceptor arrives this evening so hopefully we'll get to meet her and spend the day tomorrow getting to know her before we depart Friday morning. 
I can already tell this mission is going to be something special. We're only 2 days in and I've already met some incredible people and have had the opportunity to chat with them about their experiences in the military. They have completely different jobs and stories but both are incredibly special individuals. The people on this ship are truly genuine and interested in helping others by sacrificing their own time and lives. It really is inspirational. I hope I can take away half as much as these people did from their experiences!

Here's a sneak-peak as to what our living quarters are like!

Here's the view in Guam from the top deck of the Mercy!

More to come later... The internet on the ship is very limited so hopefully we can post frequently even once we depart!

The adventure continues………

Today, I begin the final leg of my academic adventure, an adventure that has not only equipped me with the knowledge and skill set to excel in my future career as a pharmacist but has provided me with the knowledge and exposure to become an informed citizen of the world.

I am currently at the airport waiting to get on a plane to start my 4^th year rotation in pharmacy school halfway across the world. We travel to Guam, enroute Japan to get on the Naval Ship, USNS Mercy, my home for the next 5 weeks. We will sail onwards to Indonesia and Philippines, delivering healthcare to underprivileged citizens of these countries. I count myself privileged to begin this yearlong experiential part of my pharmacy school education serving as volunteer with project hope on this adventure. I am really excited for this opportunity in a number of ways. First this offers me the opportunity to be part of an amazing team of healthcare volunteers that goes all over the world, offering healthcare to underprivileged populations. I also stand to gain a wealth of experience and knowledge from these esteemed professionals.

I am filled with excited and looking forward to the opportunity to experience others cultures and learn about them. I have no doubt that this will be an opportunity of a lifetime and I can’t wait to immerse myself in it. Hang on for the ride…….   

Day 1:

Kofi and I are sitting here in the airport about to begin our journey half-way around the world. At this moment, I am feeling overwhelmed with different emotions. I’m excited and nervous to begin this journey, but I’m also sad to say bye to my friends and family for such a long period of time since we’re so close. However, we all know this trip is the opportunity of a lifetime and I couldn’t feel more blessed to have been chosen to experience this life-changing event. 

In the big scheme of things, I’m honestly not sure what to expect at all.  I know the living arrangements will be difficult to adjust to but I’m mostly worried about what I will see in Indonesia and the Philippines.  I’ve never seen a 3^rd world country first hand and I don’t really know how I will react and feel when I meet some of the people.  I know it may be emotional and difficult to see such poor living conditions but I’m really hoping to meet some people that will change my outlook on everything.  I hope to learn from every person I meet and even though we may speak different languages, I hope to communicate with them and understand how they’re feeling.

So far our journey has started off as an adventure for sure. The first thing I got this morning was an email from one of our directors saying there was a cyclone warning in Guam and the boat may be delayed from docking, therefore forcing us into a delay or having to get a hotel room for the night when we landed. However, things seem to be back on schedule now as we are about to board the plane for Tokyo, Japan. Hopefully things will still be on schedule when we land in 14+ hours!  I’ve never been on a plane for longer than a 5-hour flight, never mind almost 14 hours. But then again, this journey is full of “never have I ever’s.”  It will definitely be an adventure, which it’s already proven true! Hopefully I will be posting again soon…

Why Project Hope?

Hi!  I’ll be on the USNS Mercy in July and August traveling to Vietnam and Cambodia.  Before any of the Shenandoah University students begin their adventures I wanted to add…

The Top 3 Reasons 

I Applied to Project Hope 

(and why you should jump at the chance 

to apply if the opportunity presents itself)

1.       Global Citizenship 

Thank heavens for the Internet!  It has connected us and fostered the idea that we are all citizens of the world.  As such, I feel a duty to do what I can to help people, not only in the United States, but in other countries as well.  With three years of pharmacy school under my belt, I’m looking forward to applying what I’ve learned in the classroom to make a positive impact.  Plus I’ll be a part of fostering good relations with other countries.

2.       Get out of my comfort zone   

Living on a ship for five weeks is definitely getting out of my comfort zone.  Just look at this picture of what the bunk beds are supposed to look like!  

I would also classify myself as a shy person and I’ll only know one other person on the ship.  That being said, what better way could there be for me to meet great people with a desire to help others! 

“A ship in a harbor is safe, but that’s not what a ship is built for.”

3.       See the world 

Until March of this year, I had never been on a plane.  I’m looking forward to seeing more of the world.  My hope is that Project Hope will afford me insight in the cultures of Vietnam and Cambodia. 

As a side note, I had planned to learn Vietnamese so that I could speak with some of the patients.  This occurred before I learned about the tones involved in Vietnamese.  Sadly they all sound the same to me.  I’ve decided to be contents with hello (chào) and goodbye (tạm biệt).  I’ll be extremely thankful for the translators!  If you learned Vietnamese as a second language, I bow down to your extraordinary language learning skills!

Shenandoah University School of Pharmacy and Project HOPE - Year 4!!

Welcome back to the RxProjectHOPE blog for year 4.  We are very excited to continue the wonderful partnership with SU SOP and Project HOPE for our fourth year pharmacy students (P4s).  For 2012, we will be sending four P4 students on an advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) aboard the USNS Mercy with the Pacific Partnership 2012!

Kofi Kyei-Mensah and Alexis Hargbol will be leaving on May 21st to join the USNS Mercy in Guam.  We're happy to report that for the first time a Shenandoah University alumni, Dr. Zara Risoldi Cochrane (class of 2008), will serve as the preceptor for Kofi and Alexis' experience! Kofi, Alexis and Dr. Risoldi Cochrane will be providing medical outreach to the communities of Indonesia and Philippines through the end of June.

Dayna Drobny and Brittany Stewart will replace the first group on the USNS Mercy in Philippines, along with their preceptor, Dr. Ravipal Singh.  Dayna, Brittany and Dr. Singh will be providing care to the individuals of Vietnam and Cambodia through August.

Please visit the blog often to read about the life-changing experiences of the students and preceptors aboard the USNS Mercy.