Here we go!

September Monthly Community Hours: 3
Cumulative Fall Semester Hours: 3 

Hi! I'm Jody, and after completing my Master's in Healthcare Administration this spring, I realized that while I love thinking about healthcare systems, I want to maximize my impact on patients, not just on a systems level, but through the bedside, advocacy, and the way care is delivered. My quality improvement course was an inspiration, and that realization is what brought me to Tulane’s Pharmacology program as a bridge back to medicine and preparation to apply to med school.

The first few weeks have been a whirlwind! It's been fun getting to know my classmates and sharing my favorite parts of New Orleans. Returning to intensive studying has been an adjustment, but I'm finding what works - and my dog, Lucy, loves having me home. 

For community service, I've been working with FreeStanding Communities, which is an all-volunteer outreach group that bridges gaps for the underserved in New Orleans. They help bring health literacy, screenings, and care directly into communities. It's a model for compassionate, barrier-free care that I'm proud to be a part of.

I'm still in their training phase, and this past Saturday's 3-hour session covered EKGs, wound care, airway maintenance, IV prep, and point-of-care testing. This was highly interactive and gave us a hands-on opportunity to practice these skills while continuing to train on their EMR. For me, it was a welcome brush-up from my ED tech days. I am excited to be back in patient-facing work soon