I ran across this blog ( Hurricane Katrina: Healthcare workers' stories) about healthcare workers volunteering to help the survivors of Katrina. Most of them are nurses, physicians and EMTs. So I thought a bit about what I could do if I was there. In reading the stories, most of the survivors do not have any of their medications with them. These are people who need insulin or pills for their diabetes, pills to prevent seizures, keep their blood pressure down, or keep the HIV virus in check. And I am a drug expert. I know about the blue pill you take at bedtime, the black and orange capsule for your stomach and the yellow pill for your blood pressure. Those little white ones are a bit trickier, but we can usually figure it out. ;) I could "triage" patients -- get a good medication history (studies have shown we do it better than nurses or physicians) before the physician writes a prescription for some refills. I would do it for 16 hours a day for days on end.
However, I am in Canada. Miles and miles and miles away. And I have sick patients of my own to look after. Patients with strokes and seizures and back surgery and significant infections and pain and those with an uncertain diagnosis.
While my heart aches for those in New Orleans and area, and while I would love to help you or relieve some of those who have been helping you, I am here. Like every day before this and every day after, I will serve my patients.
The mission statement on my desk reads:
I will saturate my day in prayer. My success will not so much depend on the things I have done, the people I have impressed, the money I have made, or the honours I have obtained but on my ability to imitate Christ.I will seek to love and serve beyond the call of duty. I will endeavour to become humble, patient, selfless, joyful, grateful, kind, honest, and merciful. I will practice with self-control, empathy, commitment and persistence.
The patient’s well-being and personal goals for health will be my utmost priority. Whenever possible, I will seek to assist and empower them in self-care. Together, we will be proactive in obtaining their optimal health.
I will seek to fulfill the most urgent needs of society for the distribution, education, consultation, selection, monitoring, and evaluation of pharmacotherapy. I will try to balance the individual’s health with the interests of society.
I will become a team player by building collaborative relationships with the patient and other health care providers. I will respect other health care professionals and honour their expertise; whenever necessary, I will seek their guidance or refer my patient to them.
I will be open to change; I will be an instrument for change. I will become an autonomous thinker, using critical and creative thinking skills. I will endeavour to stay current with advances in the practice of pharmacy.
I will take care of myself so that I can take care of others.