Are you sitting here?

Are you sitting here?

This is the literal translation of a Pueblo Keresan phrase that serves the same social function as the American “hello.” It is, fittingly, my greeting to you all in my first entry about being a JRCOSTEP participant at Albuquerque Indian Health Center, a facility within the federal agency Indian Health Service (IHS). For those of you who are less familiar with JRCOSTEP and Indian Health Service, this entry serves as an introduction to my upcoming month in New Mexico.

What is JRCOSTEP?

JRCOSTEP stands for Junior Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program. It offers health professional students the opportunity to work alongside the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Corps officers at agencies like Indian Health Service, Food and Drug Administration, and Federal Bureau of Prisons. The PHS Commissioned Corps aim to promote the health and safety of our nation through disease prevention, emergency response, scientific research, service to disadvantaged populations, etc.

What is Indian Health Service?

IHS is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. It was established in 1955 to improve the quality of subsidized health care services entitled to Native Americans and Alaskan natives, many of whom were inflicted by tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. Since then, the health status of Native Americans has improved significantly. Today, IHS serves approximately 1.9 million Native Americans nationwide.

Most importantly, why would a pharmacist or pharmacy student want to work for Indian Health Service?

IHS pharmacists have established an exemplary model for pharmaceutical care. In fact, some credit IHS as the pioneer of this concept, which has helped to improve the quality of patient care as well as to raise the level of job satisfaction for pharmacists. We’ll see if I can attest to this as my month goes by.

On a more personal level, it’s great to interact with Native Americans, whose culture we hear so much about but experience so little. I had learned the greeting above from a newly-acquainted Indian coworker who speaks Keres. Keres, Tiwa, Tewa, as well as Towa are languages spoken by the Pueblo Indians in the Southwest. I look forward to being enriched professionally and culturally during my stay here.