Off to Practice in the Virgin Islands: Fears and Hopes before Starting the Work

Nicholas Miller, Epidemiology Student

February 29, 2020, Community Partnership, Practice

Well certainly the Virgin Islands trip has snuck up. Sometimes we get so engrossed in our school work that we miss the big picture. It is good to be getting out in the field though. As I write this, we have just completed our final preparatory meeting and I would say I am a bit apprehensive but a whole lot excited. I am always a bit apprehensive when embarking on a trip of this magnitude because there is always an element of the of the unknown. Here, we will be entering into a community as outsiders, to survey them about a traumatic event. There is certainly a possibility for some friction there. However, we will not be doing this alone; we will be working with local partners to complete these surveys. Still there is this element of the unknown that we will be encountering. Yet, I think that is where the best personal growth comes from; that is where a person has to adapt to succeed. I look forward to facing the unknown this trip, but I do know some things from the start. We must make sure that the work we will perform will have a benefit on the people of the Virgin Islands. We cannot simply do the work for our own ends; we have this responsibility that we must fulfill. I also know that we will have a great time. We have been afforded an opportunity to experience another culture, something that not everyone can have. It will be an enriching experience where we will hone our public health skills by putting them into practice outside the classroom. And yes, it will be warm and sunny, a far cry from the Michigan winter that we will be escaping. I can’t wait for the trip to begin!