ST JUDE!!

ST. Jude is a Memphis Icon.
From first hand experience, ST. Jude really is exactly what you hear about on the news.
Every person from the cleaning staff to the head docs/reserachers has one goal in mind: the child. When money, budgets, resources, hidden agendas are all removed from the equation, it is amazing what can be accomplished. I am quite proud to be an "employee" even if it is just for a month. I have an official name badge and parking tag so I consider myself employed. I do spend a normal work day there that is for sure. I will spend two more months at St. Jude and look forward to those.

My main purpose for writing this post is to share what happened in a meeting today.
A VERY IMPORTANT pharmD in management set aside time in his busy schedule to meet with the students for an hour. He genuinely cares about the students who come through ST Jude, their experience, and their professional/personal growth. He took the time to explain ST. Jude's mission and pharmacy organizational framework.

Without getting into the details, I was blown away by two comments.
#1 He used the comparison of how ST Jude operates similar to the Body of Christ. He explained how every eye, foot, hand of the body of Christ has a purpose with one mission: to proclaim the gospel. Similar to ST Jude where every team member is working together to accomplish a mission: save children's lives (in which they do every day) For a man in his kind of position to reference Christ in a meeting with vulnerable students spoke highly of what this man is about. He may be about saving kids, but ultimately he is about winning souls for Christ.
#2 When talking about failed processes within the healthcare system he used the phrase, "frustrating as sin." I was just glad to hear someone acknowledge, even in the ideal world of ST Jude, that healthcare can be extremely frustrating, esp when your a key player in it....


All this to say, I have utmost respect for ST Jude as well as the leadership leading the top cancer research center for children.
Who knows? Maybe I will be a "real" employee one day. I would be honored to be a part of their organization.