Working Girl

Just so you all don't think that I came to Liberia to enjoy the beach, I will tell you what I do Monday-Friday 08:30-17:00. I work in the Human Resources Dept which is divided between general crew and medical. I work as one of the two HR healthcare services volunteer coordinators (very long job title). We are responsible for bringing all medical crew onto the ship. Specifically, I handle nurses (ICU/ PACU and ward), the dental team, and the eye team. I have to process the applications, which include a lot of paper pushing, organize staffing to fill every position, handle housing, embarking new crew and disembarking a crew member when they leave.

I did not realize how much goes into HR until I began training. Go hug everyone who works in your human resources department (they deserve a hug). To add to the fun of this job is the fact that the average doctor/ nurse is only on the ship for 4-6 weeks. So the turnover rate is crazy! From now until the end of September we have 38 medical people arriving. But I feel prepared for the responsibility I have been given and have been trained by some amazing ladies. Come Wednesday of next week, Kristin (who is training me and whom I am replacing) will have returned home to California and I will be officially over that position (which is almost humorous to me).

It truly is amazing when I think about what I do: I arrange it and prepare the way for hundreds of nurses to assist in thousands of surgeries. Staffing the dental and eye teams to operate here in Monrovia. The fact that God has placed me here, in this time, to assist in this way is wonderful. I was just told that the dental team has just performed its 4,957 procedure for 2,887 patients! That makes the work worth it - knowing that people are being changed physically as well as spiritually.

The HR Dept. outside of the Africa Mercy ship

In my office with Kristin (holding our mascot dog Hope) and Patti, along with a few of the medical crew.