HTM On The Line with BRYANT HAWKINS SR.
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HTM On The Line with BRYANT HAWKINS SR.
Navigating Hope: Kimberly Ames and the Life-Saving Missions of Mercy Ships
What if you could transform lives while navigating the open seas? Join us as we chat with Kimberly Ames, an inspiring recruiter at Mercy Ships, who turned her dream of making a global health impact into reality. Our conversation journeys through Kimberly’s incredible path from a health science student to her pivotal role in an organization that conquers challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic to continue providing life-saving medical care aboard the Africa Mercy and Global Mercy ships. Discover how this unique medical missionary, supported by a large and diverse volunteer crew, brings critical healthcare to underserved communities with unwavering dedication and faith.
Kimberly offers a fascinating look at what it takes to recruit and bring together a global cohort of 3,700 volunteers from over 50 nations, emphasizing Mercy Ships' inclusive and faith-based foundation. She shares the behind-the-scenes efforts of recruiting healthcare professionals and other essential volunteers, highlighting how Mercy Ships stands out with its welcoming approach for short-term volunteers regardless of their backgrounds. We also explore the vibrant cultural life aboard these floating hospitals, from festive celebrations to forming lifelong bonds, making every day an enriching experience for the volunteers on board.
Thinking about volunteering or curious about how you can contribute? Kimberly provides insights into the varied commitment lengths for volunteers, the selection of countries for service, and the crucial role of local translators in ensuring effective aid delivery. She walks us through the application process, emphasizing dedication and offering guidance for those eager to join this noble cause. Even if volunteering isn’t an option, Kimberly shares how you can support Mercy Ships in other meaningful ways. Tune in for a heartwarming episode filled with stories of hope, connection, and the profound impact of serving aboard Mercy Ships.
We are immensely grateful to our partners— College of Biomedical Equipment Technology, A.M. BICKFORD, INC., UptimeServices, PM BIOMEDICAL, FSI and Talent Exclusive—for their support in making this podcast possible. Their dedication to advancing the Healthcare Technology Management industry is truly commendable. For more information about their contributions and services, please visit their websites.
For more podcast episodes, motivational videos, blogs, and newsletters, make sure to visit our website at htmontheline.com. We look forward to connecting with you.
Welcome back to HTM on the Line, the podcast that is for HTM by HTM. I'm your host, brian Hawkins Sr. And we have an extraordinary guest joining us today. Kimberly Ames, a recruiter for the world-renowned Mercy Ships, is here to share her incredible journey the life-changing work of Mercy Ships and how this floating hospital transforms lives globally. From managing complex logistics during a pandemic to recruiting volunteers from across the globe, kimberly's passion for her mission is inspiring. We'll hear about the challenges, achievements and opportunities to be part of something truly life-changing. Whether you're in HTM healthcare or just looking for a story that moves you, this is one episode you don't want to miss. But before we get started, let's take a moment to hear from our sponsors, who make this podcast possible.
Speaker 2:Today's podcast is brought to you by FSI. Optimize your hospital's facilities and healthcare technology management operations with FSI's CMMS platform. They're comprehensive, cloud-based maintenance management software is standardized, scalable and designed to empower your team with accurate, practical and impactful data. Now let's jump into this week's podcast.
Speaker 1:Kimberly Ames. Am I saying that right or is it a mess?
Speaker 3:No, you're right.
Speaker 1:Kimberly Ames. How you doing, Kimberly? Welcome to HTM On the Line. Glad to finally get you on the show.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm super excited to be here, and thanks for the invite.
Speaker 1:Let's just get right into it, because there's a lot of things I want to cover. But before we get started, first off, just if you don't mind sharing a little background about yourself and how you come to work with the Mercy Ship.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I would love to. I have a bachelor's of science degree in health science and when I was in university, I specialized in global health, and so my global health professor was from Kenya and when we got to our Africa unit, she actually taught about Mercy Ships in our global health class. And so I remember being a college student sitting in a classroom thinking like that's what I want to do when I grow up. I want to work for Mercy Ships and make my dreams come true. And so I graduated and life happens and I got into recruitment, really specializing in like health care recruitment.
Speaker 3:So I worked for a local hospital, finished up my degree and then I kind of dabbled in some HR and recruiting and I just found like that's really where my passions lie. And so in 2020, early 2020, before COVID hit, I came across an opportunity to work at Mercy Ships and I just jumped on that opportunity because, like I mentioned, I said that's what I wanted to do when I grew up, and so when an opening came about, I took it and it has been almost five years later and I tell people that I have my dream job. So I'm excited to share today that I'm five years into my career at Mercy Ships and I'm still living in my honeymoon phase.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's awesome. Now you mentioned you started in early 2020. So was it real challenging to do this job during COVID, because you came in right before COVID started. So how was that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was such an interesting time, not just for Mercy Ships but for us globally.
Speaker 3:I started, actually, two weeks before the pandemic had hit and so, as a new hire, just showing up for my first day of work, all excited to dive into the new organization that I'm working for, and then I remember, like you know, the news coming on and it's talking about just different challenges that people were having across the globe, and we just kind of like rolled with the punches and so we had to pull out of field service.
Speaker 3:We were in Dakar, senegal, at the time.
Speaker 3:The Global Mercy had not yet launched, she was still being built, and so we only had one ship the Africa Mercy was still being built, and so we only had one ship, the Africa Mercy, and we pulled out of field service and we just kind of all took a break as life was happening and during COVID and you know, as the world was happening, we weren't really sure what you know, post COVID was going to look like or when we were all going to get back to what we previously knew as normal.
Speaker 3:And so you know, there were some seasons that Mercy ships that we had to be creative, so we really dug into our education, training and advocacy and, you know, did some remote things that we you know how all of us were transitioning to a remote time frame, and then it was really exciting to celebrate getting ourselves really back into field service. And then we were able to launch the Global Mercy post, covid, and yeah. So we're happy to report that both ships are currently in field service and we're thriving as an organization and it's really amazing just the different work that we're able to provide for our patients.
Speaker 1:It's amazing. Now, for those unfamiliar, can you basically explain? You touched on it somewhat, but can you explain what Mercy Ship does and the impact it has on global communities?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So MercyShip operates a fleet of the world's largest charity hospital ships to bring hope and healing to those who need it most. An estimated 16.9 million people die globally every year because they just can't access safe, affordable or timely surgical care. So to meet the significant need, our volunteer crew help to provide life saving and life changing surgery and medical training in low and middle income countries.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's good. Now I know she just mentioned volunteers. So Mercy Ship, does it rely on volunteers to do much of the work or all of the work?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So the way that I like to explain Mercy Ships to people that are not very familiar with our internal lingo is we're a medical missionary organization. So, just like any other missions organization, we do rely on our volunteers to make the magic happen. So we're donor supported and powered by our volunteers, and we utilize thirty seven hundred volunteers on an annual basis to power both of our ships. And the beauty of being a global organization is we take or we have volunteers with us from over 50 to 60 different nations, or we have volunteers with us from over 50 to 60 different nations. So it's a beautiful intercultural mixture of a global organization. Your roommate could be from the Netherlands or from Canada or New Zealand, and so it's just really fun to come together as a body of Christ really and just be the hands and feet of Jesus in the countries that we serve to the underprivileged.
Speaker 1:And it's just really beautiful that, the way that Mercy Ships operates. That's great. And what kind of roles are most needed and how do you go about finding people for these positions? Because you mentioned you get them from all over the world. So I guess that's a two part question what kind of roles are most needed and then how do you go about finding people for these roles?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's a great question, depending on who you ask. Would depend on where people would say the most need is. And that's just because you know our departments or our hiring managers. Really it's so personal to them. And so every we say that every role on board mercy ships and every department is just as important as the other. And so a surgeon cannot do what they do without our hospital support staff, which then can't do what they do without our housekeepers and our galley to feed us, and we can't do any of those things without a maritime crew to power the ship. And so it's such a loaded question, but I would. I would say that there's such a wide variety of roles on board Mercy ships that if the listeners out there are interested in coming to serve with us, we can find something for everyone. And coming to serve with us, we can find something for everyone.
Speaker 1:Great, you're saying a lot about MercyShift, but there's a number of organizations out there that's doing great work in the healthcare or humanitarian aid part of the world. What sets MercyShift apart from them?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely so. Of course I'm biased at MercyShift I am a Mercy Shifts employee but I would just share that. Just get involved, no matter what you do or where you go. You could say that you can do volunteer work in your local neighborhoods. You don't have to go across the ocean to volunteer somewhere. But the important part is to just kind of, you know, get involved and to do something to give back. And so I think Mercy Ships it sets itself apart from other humanitarian or other volunteer organizations just because of the nature of the work that we do.
Speaker 3:For me, I have always loved the healthcare industry, and so how cool is it that we are a floating hospital?
Speaker 3:I've never seen a hospital ship before.
Speaker 3:I worked for Mercy Ships and got the privilege to go on board the Global Mercy, and so seeing it in action and just seeing something walking down the hallways of the hospital in the Global Mercy was exactly like walking down the hospital in Texas where I worked previously to Mercy Ships, and so taking a hospital in the Western world and putting it on a ship to make it like accessible to people and nations that might not get that help, it just blew my mind, to be honest with you, and so I really appreciate that Mercy Ships is a faith-based organization, so I do love that they keep Christ at the center.
Speaker 3:But my favorite part about Mercy Ships is that you do not have to be of Christian background in order to volunteer with us. If you are serving 11 months or below, you can come as you are, which I feel like is the most important part of the gospel, and the most important part about being a Christian is that you know we're going to love you, no matter what your background is or no matter what you believe in. It's just we're here for our patients and we're coexisting together to get the job done, and so I think that is my favorite part of Mercy Ships and just the uniqueness of the multi backgrounds a multicultural, multi country just the difference. It's just it's not about where you're from, but it's about what you know and how you can utilize your skills to, yeah, just help on board the ships, and so I think it's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 1:Yes, now let's just talk a little bit about your recruiting duties. I mean, it's challenging right now to recruit individuals in the healthcare industry. Now you're trying to recruit individuals in the health care industry. Now you're trying to recruit individuals to, like you mentioned, travel across the ocean. So what are some of the challenges you may face as a recruiter trying to get people to come work on the Mercy Ship?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's. It's actually funny because I say that I have job security because it's just there's always recruiting to be done. So at Mercy Ships we define recruitment as attracting new talent, and so my teams and I are responsible for lead generation and so going out and talking with people who might not have ever heard of Mercy Ships before and just really like explaining the mission and the vision behind what the organization does and the most beautiful thing about Mercy Ships is it really sells itself. I don't have to convince you how amazing Mercy Ships is, because Mercy Ships does a pretty good job of explaining that itself through the videos and the photography and just the stories that come out of Mercy Ships. It's just, it does a good job of capturing your heart and bringing that inspiration within itself.
Speaker 3:My job as a recruiter is to help you match your skillset to where the need is on board. So I have a really big passion for helping people and one of my favorite things about recruiting is when I was doing it in, you know, corporate America was, I was helping people provide for their families, and now that I recruit volunteers, it's really just digging in and helping people understand the benefits of volunteering. So, statistically speaking, for those of you that have volunteer experience on your resume and it doesn't have to be Mercy Ships experience but if you volunteer in some kind of capacity, statistically proven you are going to get a job over somebody else, and the reason behind that is is that your hiring manager can trust you. You're, overall, a good person because you are doing something outside of self, and so it's statistically proven that if you have volunteer work on your resume, that it sets you apart from somebody that doesn't have that volunteer work on their resume.
Speaker 1:Can you share a success story about someone maybe, that you recruited to go into the Mercy Ship that they may have had when they served the community where the ship was docked? Do you have a success story you can share with us?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely. But before I answer that question, kind of going back to like part of what motivates people and inspiration, I also want to touch on the skills and experiences that you gain on Mercy Ships is completely different than what you would gain at home, and the reason being is because we're going to see surgical cases in sub-Saharan Africa that we'll never see in the Western world. We would take care of things at you know, at birth or when we were younger. It would never get to the size of the tumors that they get on Mercy Ships, or it's just things that our primary health provider would take care of before it got as bad as it does at Mercy Ships, and so you're going to see surgical cases in different levels of difficulty on board of Mercy Ships than you'd ever see in the Western world. So you're going to come back for Mercy Ships like gaining experiences that you would never have the opportunity of learning by living in the US. So I also want to add that perspective to that as well and then to share a story.
Speaker 3:It's just so hard to pick one because each person that we encounter at Mercy Ships has such a unique story, and all of our crew members and our alumni and our incoming crew members each have a personal story of how they heard about Mercy Ships and why did they decide to, you know, give up their financial gain to go over to Sierra Leone or Madagascar or whichever country that we're serving for an extended period of time on Mercy Ships, and so I would just share that. I have not encountered not one person that did not have an inspiring story or didn't have a story where they were able to impact somebody, like a patient or a caregiver or something like that. I will share, though, that we have an overwhelming amount of people that come home from our sea ships and tell us that by going on board our ships, they actually gained more from it than what, they, like, have given, and so when we think about going on a medical missionary trip, we think of the things that we can provide as healthcare professionals to the organization, but we never think about how it impacts us individually, and so I think that's another part that's so beautiful about volunteer work is that you gain so much personally from you know. They just inspire you to be a better person, to be a better health care provider, and it really just reminds you of like why you wanted to be in the health care industry in the first place.
Speaker 3:And so really digging into like why did you decide to be you know a nurse or a surgeon or you know, in the biomedical industry when you were a child? Like, why did you decide to be a nurse or a surgeon or in the biomedical industry when you were a child, and why did you go through all of these years of education and gain all this experience to get to where you are today? And so I just always find it to be like such an inspiring thing. And so I just have I have never met one person that didn't have like an inspiring story.
Speaker 1:What can a volunteer okay, I'm volunteering to come on the Mercy Ship. What can I expect when I walk on the Mercy Ship, Both in terms, I guess, of daily life and a broader experience? What's the daily life like on the Mercy Ship for a 40-hour work?
Speaker 3:week so your shifts can look, you know, depending on what department that you're serving in. So, because we are a faith-based organization, we don't do any surgeries on Sundays. So we do have a church service on Sunday evening and then we do encourage you to experience a local church to really understand the culture of the country that we're in. So it's encouraged to go to church on a Sunday morning, but after when you're off ship or off shift, your time is your time. So we are like docked in a port, like right by the ocean, so there's beach experiences and majority of the country that we're serving, so lots of excursions that take place. We eat a lot so Mercy Ships feeds you three meals a day in our galley but you're definitely, you know, able to go and enjoy like local cuisine.
Speaker 3:My time in Sierra Leone was spent dining out at, you know, at dinner with like friends that I met on board that will forever be lifelong friends of mine. I had the opportunity to have a beach day so I got to see the beautiful beaches of Freetown, sierra Leone. Yeah, we just drove through the town and really saw the land like there's lots of hills in Freetown and so got to really experience the beauty of the land. It was the end of rainy season, so everything was green and beautiful and the people of Sierra Leone are so friendly and they're just so welcoming and I never had security concerns while I was there. I'd been on two other mission trips prior to my time at Mercy Ships and I will say that the level of security that Mercy Ships takes into account was, I felt, very safe while I was traveling with them. And so, yeah, you, just your free time is your free time.
Speaker 3:Ship life is really cool. I like to describe it as living in a dorm room, because when you live in community, you're eating meals together, you're working together, there's lots of game nights and movie nights and, yeah, just people kind of hang out and get to know each other. There are people that knit on board just whatever you want to do to pass your time. You're you know you're in sub-Saharan Africa, so just make the best of it. And it's like going on a whole adventure.
Speaker 3:So it's kind of like going on a vacation, but not really because you're working, but on your free time you can go off the ship and experience, you know, whatever you're most comfortable with. So I like to tell people that your time on board is what you make it. If you're if you just want to come to work your shifts and then eat some really good food and then go to bed, that's what you can do. If you want to stay up really late and hang out with really cool people and make lifelong friends, it's just what you personally make it. But there's several opportunities to do things on and off ship, great opportunities to meet lifelong friends. So it's kind of like living in a dorm room.
Speaker 1:Wow, now I did a little research before our podcast and I saw this one video, a picture where it looked like each crew member dressed up in their cultural uniform not uniform, but cultural dress. What was that all about? Where they had, like, I guess, each nationality they had on what they would wear in their home country, and it's like there was some type of celebration going on. Are you familiar with that, or am I just?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so we really love to celebrate things at Mercy Ships and so, being in a multicultural, multi-nation environment, we celebrate every holiday. So if you're on board and it's July 4th, we're celebrating it. If you're on board and it's Sierra Leone's Independent Day, we're celebrating Sierra Leoneans. We're celebrating all of our European holidays and really honoring the cultures and holidays of our shipmates, our crewmates. So we're always celebrating something on Fridays.
Speaker 3:It's a really fun time on Mercy Ships.
Speaker 3:It's called Crazy Scrub Day, and so you're you're able to wear something outside of the Mercy Ships scrub uniform, so a lot of people wear beautiful African prints.
Speaker 3:I personally like purchased a headband while I was there and I had a skirt like tailored to me and some beautiful African fabric, and so if you're like really enjoy having like a fun time or you really enjoy celebrating things, mercy Ships is the perfect place for you. I like to joke that it's a holiday, like every other week on board, and so that's probably something that you saw with some kind of celebration. Or I will say that when we arrive in a country, it's such, it's a beautiful thing, and so we have a parade, lots of African celebrations, and so we're doing a lot of dancing and everyone stands out on deck 10 of the global mercy and waves their flag from where they're from, and it's just such a beautiful experience, and Mercy Ships does such a great job in honoring each person, no matter where they're from or what their background is, and that, just to me, like makes it so much more beautiful to work for Mercy Ships, just because no one is ever overlooked and everyone is celebrated, no matter where they come from.
Speaker 1:Right Now, what is the typical length of a volunteer's commitment on the Mercy Ship?
Speaker 3:Yeah, our time commitments are going to vary depending on the department that you're serving in. Everything will be between two weeks and two years. So our two week time commitments are more reserved for our operating room team. So surgeons, anesthesia professionals, or and PACU are all looking at the two week timeframe. It does go up from there. Our ward team comes for 12 weeks, so you're looking at three months. Our biomedical technicians come for six months. All of our hospital leadership or any team leaders are looking at two years. And that's just because it's really hard to overturn a leadership team every two weeks or every few months. We really like for leadership to be there for two years.
Speaker 3:So I will say that it's not a full two years on board. It's not that you'll never come home in that two years. We do 10-month build services at a time and then we have to shipyard for maritime law and regulations. So a lot of our crew members come home during that time frame as an LOA, a leave of absence, and our hospital is closed during the annual maintenance period and then you just go back to the ship during the next field service and do your another 10 months and then you kind of come home and your two years are up.
Speaker 3:I will say that when I was on Mercy Ships it was almost like dog years. I was there for such a short period of time but I felt like I'd been on the ship like for three months and that I was only there for one week. The time just flew by and I will admit on this podcast right now that I cried like a little baby when I had to come home, because I just had such a great time on board and just the send off was so emotional I didn't want to leave. And so between me and you, I am definitely trying to figure out how I can get back on that ship because I just I lived my best life and I enjoyed my time there so much that I cannot wait to go back.
Speaker 1:Well, it's between me and you and the many listeners, but just don't tell my boss everybody many listeners, but just don't tell my boss. Everybody. Now families can families or couples volunteer together on the Mercy Ship, or is it single ones only? How does that work?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's a great question. We do have couples on board. We have couples cabins. We also have families on board.
Speaker 3:I will say, though, that, although there are many great things about operating a hospital ship, space is one of the you know things that limits us. So we only have a certain amount of family cabins, we only have a certain amount of crew couples cabins, and then we only have a certain amount of crew cabins. And so, although families are eligible to come and we actually have a Christian accredited Academy, k through 12. So your children can actually go to school while you're volunteering on Mercy Ships, our family cabins are prioritized based on, like, the level of time commitment you're coming. So if you're coming for a year or more, you're going to get the family cabin. For a year or more, you're going to get the family cabin.
Speaker 3:Our shorter term positions do not qualify for a family cabin just because you're not coming for such a long period of time as our long-term crew members are coming for. So we really like to reserve our family cabins and our crew cabins for long-term crew. Also, we don't want to disturb the children's academy year, so we're really not wanting to disrupt the kids and their school schedules. It is a big decision to you know. Uproot of these things into consideration while we're having that conversation, for is Mercy Ships the right fit for you and your family? That's great.
Speaker 1:Now, since we're talking about coming volunteer now, currently, which regions are countries on the Mercy Ships currently serving, countries on the Mercy Ships currently serving? And also, I mean, I guess, how do you go about picking a location?
Speaker 3:or country? Yeah, that's a great question. The African Mercy is currently docked in Madagascar, so we will be in Madagascar until the end of 2025. And then we're not yet sure. We have not yet revealed where we're going to next. So definitely follow Mercy Ship social media to stay up to date on our next country for Africa Mercy. And then our global mercy is Docton Freetown, sierra Leone. We are. We. We came back into Sierra Leone in September and we will be there through June of 2025. And we are still trying to figure out our next location for the Global Mercy as well. So I won't reveal too much, because I would love for you all to follow Mercy Ships and see the exciting announcements that we have on our social media.
Speaker 3:But how we pick the country that we're serving is a really great question.
Speaker 3:But how we pick the country that we're serving is a really great question.
Speaker 3:So each country that we service has a five-year plan, and so we have an amazing country engagement team that works with the Ministry of Health and the government of each country, and so we are invited in. We don't want to come in and compete with what the local health care system is doing, so we are there by invitation and we agree upon how many surgeries or what Mercy ships can help with that help within that country. Before we the ship arrives, we have a global patient selection team that is on the ground doing all of our triaging and just really getting everything prepared for us. We want to make sure that what we're committing to we're actually able to deliver on, and so the ship's arrival in country is year three of that five-year plan, and so a lot of prep work goes into our ships arriving in country and then, even after our ships sail away, there is still some on-the-ground work that needs to be done after our ships go to the next country work that needs to be done after our ships go to the next country.
Speaker 1:So are there any particular? I guess I'm going to say this are there any language requirements or cultural training to prepare to go to these particular locations?
Speaker 3:For the language. The working language on board is English, so everyone has to be able to read, write and speak English in order to volunteer on Mercy Ships. Now you might be wondering, but you all are going into countries that English is not the first language, and you're absolutely correct. We work with, we employ local day crew to come in and be translators for us. So in Freetown, Sierra Leone, the main language spoken is Creole, and so, although Sierra Leone is an English speaking nation, their Creole is the native language, and so English is taught in their schools, and for the most part people speak English and Creole.
Speaker 3:But depending on how far our patients are coming from, you know, the bigger, bigger cities, they might not actually speak English. And then it's it's if your English is your second language or third language or fourth language. You might not know all of the like anatomy or the medical terminology that comes with English, and so we really rely on our translators to speak to our patients in their native language, so they're fully understanding what Mercy Ships is able to provide for them. And then for Madagascar. Madagascar is actually more of a French speaking country, and so their French is always a bonus with Mercy Ships, because you know just the different regions that we serve, but everyone on board has to speak English. Now if you're hanging out in the galley on board and you're kind of walking through our coffee shop, you're going to hear a plethora of languages, and so it's just really cool to kind of be like in the in the cafe on Mercy Ships and just kind of overhearing the multi languages that are spoken on board. But everything business related is in English.
Speaker 1:Okay, now, okay, let's try to put a picture in the minds of the listeners. The ship Mercy Ship just pulled up to Madagascar. What is one of the first things you do when a ship pulls up to the country the country for the ship to come in, or how does it work? I mean, I know they don't. How do they set appointments? So it's just, they check you at the beginning. What's the process of getting healthcare to the country when the boat gets there?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So the global patient selection team has already been on the ground and has done all of the patient selection before the ship arrives. So for the most part we know like the cases or the surgical specialties that we're going to offer when the ship arrives and then everyone is scheduled. It's all pre-scheduled. Our pre-op team does all of the pre-op appointments. They meet with the surgeons prior to their operation day. We just do everything that we can to make it as a comfortable experience as possible.
Speaker 3:It's really scary to have a hospital ship like pull up into your port and just you have this like large vessel that's in your country that you might not have ever seen a ship before, you might not have ever seen somebody of light skinned. So it could be kind of scary, and so we did the best that we can to really educate and make our patients as comfortable as possible, especially the children. I just can't imagine putting myself in a patient's shoes, just like walking up the gangway and just thinking like, wow, this vessel is massive and I am just like this little bitty child and everyone around me is so big and things can be really scary and people are talking to me in a language that's not my first language, and so Mercy Ships does a really good job just like we would do here in the States of making our patients feel comfortable. A lot of our like healthcare professionals give us the feedback that we're not flipping hospital beds on mercy shifts. We like really do have the opportunity to walk our patients through their entire surgical journey, so from start to finish, and so that's another reason why our time commitments are kind of lengthy.
Speaker 3:I know that three months sounds like a lot, or even 10 months is like a really big chunk out of your life, but, like I mentioned, it's going to go by so fast and you're just the patients and their caregivers. You're going to get to like really know your patient and see them from start to finish, and I think that that's really one of the most inspiring things on Mercy Ships is just being able to walk our patients through that entire journey. And so when the ship actually arrives in country, all of the patients, for the most part, are already selected. They've already gotten their, you know, their triaging has been done and they got their pre-op appointments to see our pre-op team and meet with our surgeons.
Speaker 1:What are the main? I guess what are the main medical services provided on board?
Speaker 3:if you have to say yeah, so Mercy Ships actually has two different pillars.
Speaker 3:So our direct medical services is the surgery that is done on board our hospital ships, and then we have a second pillar for education, training and advocacy, and this is a lot of our land-based programs, and so Mercy Ships is a type of organization that's more like, instead of showing a man how to fish, we're teaching men how to fish, and so Mercy Ships would love to disciple themselves out of being needed in sub-Saharan Africa, and the only way that we've identified to do that is not by coming in and doing it ourselves and just doing it and then leaving, but we do and we teach, and so that is also another.
Speaker 3:One of my favorite parts about Mercy Ships is we're coming into the local health care system and we're teaching safe surgery, we're teaching instrument sterilization, we're teaching infant CPR and just the different things that come with safe surgery. They do have limited resources in their health care systems, but we're able to come in and provide knowledge and experience and things that would be everlasting for them, just because we're not coming in and dumping a bunch of equipment on them that they're never going to be able to use or they're never going to be able to fix because they can't get the parts or you know they don't have the support needed to phone somebody to you know, to screen share and fix the problem, and so. But we can teach knowledge and we can provide resources and courses for them to further their education and strengthen their healthcare system. And so it's just such a great thing that not only is Mercy Ships providing surgery, but we're teaching the local health care systems how they can actually do this themselves.
Speaker 1:Amazing. Now. I'm a biomed by heart, so do you have any biomed positions aboard Mercy Ships open right now?
Speaker 3:We do. We love our biomed department on board Mercy Ships. So we have three different roles available in our biomedical department. So we have biomedical project assistants. They actually come for four weeks and so if you're thinking that, wow, six months is a really long time, I don't think that I can get away for that time. I would encourage you to come as a project assistant first and what's the project assistant does.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the biomedical project assistants are responsible for development of new medical equipment and maintenance of existing medical equipment during maintenance periods and designated process. So they actually take, they're tasked with the related medical equipment used in the hospital, including, but not limited to, radiology, pharmacy or ORs, the clean core, the ICU, simulation training rooms, pre-op and post-op rooms, wards, nursing stations, sterilization rooms and all that good stuff. So it's basic understanding of equipment, knowledge of you know or clinical application is required. So I would say that this is more of the entry level, Um, but even if you're overqualified, it's just such a perfect role to come in to just to taste, test Mercy Ships and to see if this might be something that you want to do long term.
Speaker 3:Our biomedical technicians they do come for six months, which is a pretty lengthy time frame, I know, but we have been known to take people for three months. So if you can make it three months, you have a very high chance of making it. So I definitely encourage you to apply. Even if you can't match the minimum time commitment, I still think it's worth an application, because you never know until you ask, and so I just would encourage you to go through the application process and, just you know, show Mercy Ships your skills through your resume and CVs and just see what happens.
Speaker 1:Well, let's say Biomed HTM professional comes on the ship, do they offer manufacturer training? If they take, say they do, a commitment of a year or two years, how do y'all get training for the Biomed techs?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so we have a senior biomedical technician that oversees the day-to-day operations of the team, and so our senior biomed is somebody that is very skilled in being a biomedical on Mercy Ships, and so the senior biomed really utilizes those training opportunities they provide.
Speaker 3:Yeah, really everything that your workload would be on a day, a day to day basis, what your routine maintenance would be, because we would really love to make sure that we're catching something before it actually breaks down, and we have to, you know, stop surgeries in order for you all to fix it, and so there's a lot of maintenance that is involved in that. And then, of course, you are on call should something you know go wrong at the wrong time, because you know equipment likes to. In technology, they like to break at the most inconvenient times, and so, yeah, but our senior biomed technician is really responsible for overseeing that training process. And then we want to make sure that you're pretty comfortable in your skills and experiences as a biomedical professional. You are in a limited resource environment, and so if you're just fresh out of training or you're currently in school to be a biomedical professional, mercy Ships is not going to be the best place for you until you've gained at least two years of postgraduate experience.
Speaker 1:Yes, ma'am. So Gildo and Emmanuel, how they're doing.
Speaker 3:Oh, they're amazing. Gildo is one of the most amazing biomedical professionals I've ever met in my life. He's native to the Netherlands and so and then Emmanuel is from Benin. So I personally, as a recruiter that lives in the US, I would love to see some more US biomedical professionals on board. But I understand that you all are very important in your local jobs, and so we don't want to take you away from anything that you're currently doing. But I would just encourage you that if Mercy Ships is ever in your dreams, add it to your bucket list, add it to your vision boards. We've been here since 1978. We'll been here since 1978. We'll be here in the future. So really, it's just whenever it's most convenient for you. We'll be here when you're ready.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes. And how is Mercy Chef's rock star?
Speaker 3:Deborah, my favorite. How's she doing? She's amazing. I actually just hung out with Guido and her when I was in Freetown. We took a little selfie and sent it your way, bryant, but it was so fun to meet them in person. I had worked with Guido for almost five years now, and so getting the opportunity to meet him in person, versus chatting through a screen, was something really amazing. But they're doing great work on Mercy Ships and I know Emmanuel won the Humanitarian Award last year, and so they're just amazing human beings and just utilizing their skills and talents to give back in a humanitarian capacity, it's just really great. But also they've learned and they've gained skills from Mercy Ships that they would not have gained in their local hospitals back in the Netherlands or Benin, and so it's kind of a two-way street really Like. Mercy Ships obviously benefits from their skills, but they've gained some tips and tricks along the way with volunteering with Mercy Ships, and so it's just amazing. They're amazing people.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes Now you talked a lot about the Mercy Ship and the great things, can you? I mean, I've seen plenty of pictures of how the Mercy Ship has transformed people's lives. Can you share a specific example or story how you personally witnessed a patient life being transformed, or community, by the assistance of a Mercy Ship?
Speaker 3:Yeah, mercy Ships does a really great job of capturing like before and after pictures and really walking some patients like they're through their healthcare journey, and so, if you are a YouTuber, mercy Ships has some great content out there about our patients and their stories, and so I would just share that. The children are my favorite. I love me a good cleft lip palate repair before and after with the most precious babies that you will ever see in your life. The pediatric orthopedics specialty is always tugged at my heart. Pediatric orthopedics specialty has always tugged at my heart.
Speaker 3:So seeing a child with a bowed leg or some kind of you know orthopedic challenges be able to return to their villages and play soccer with kids at their own age is really gets my sad on. I think I cry on a weekly basis working for Mercy Ships and I'm not a crier in my personal life. It's just so inspiring and it's like tears of joy because I'm just celebrating that Mercy Ships have the opportunity and the privilege to help a child like further their life expectancy, and so, yeah, if you're wanting to get your sad on or cry tears of joy, check out Mercy Ships YouTube and you'll just you'll just not want to look away. It's such a fun little time pass. I really enjoy just watching the YouTube videos of the before and afters.
Speaker 3:Wow, so so For listeners who may be interested For the listeners who may be interested what is the process for applying to volunteer or support Mercy Ships? What's the process? If I want to apply to volunteer, what would I do? And then you would see what we currently have open and urgent, and then you would apply through the apply link. I'm going to be honest with all of you because I feel like we're now really good friends.
Speaker 3:The application process is not an easy task If we were really digging into your skills and experiences and it's kind of a lengthy application, but we just really want to make sure that that Mercy Ships is a good fit for you and you're a good fit for Mercy Ships, and so it's kind of like hazing you. If you can survive the application process. We know that you're. You're really dedicated to coming to Mercy Ships and so but all jokes aside, as a recruiter, I'm here to personally help each and every one of you, and so I can. I'm I can be found on LinkedIn.
Speaker 3:My email address is as public out there. It's just my first dot last name at Mercy Ships dot org. Feel free to reach out to me individually and, and even if you're not ready to come volunteer with Mercy Ships, I'd be happy to look over your resume and to give you a recruiter perspective of your resume. I'd be happy to give you some interview tips. I just feel like all of us can help each other further our careers, and so, as a recruiter, I would love to help you out with Mercy Ships and or outside of Mercy Ships If you need someone to look at your resume, give you some tips and tricks on some interview tips or how to set yourself apart from the competitors. It's a job markers market out there, so a job seekers market out there, and so if you're looking for your next opportunity career wise or volunteer definitely reach out to me. I'd be happy to chat with you further and to help you obtain that next opportunity.
Speaker 1:How can an individual who may not be able to volunteer, like you mentioned? It's a very intense recruitment process or application process, but how can you still directly support the mission and work of Mercy Ship, even if you can't volunteer directly?
Speaker 3:Yeah, we like to use three words give, go and pray and so if you're not in a position in your life to physically go, look into opportunities to give. So we are donor supported, and so we can't do what we do without funds, and so if you're in a financial position to give us a donation, we would be greatly appreciative of that. To give us a donation we would be greatly appreciative of that. If going or giving is not on your bucket list for 2024, we would accept any prayers or positive thoughts that you want to give our way. What we do is complicated and it's not easy work, and so any type of prayer that you can offer mercyships would be greatly appreciated.
Speaker 3:We also love to pray for our patients, and we love to pray for the governments of the country that we're serving, and so there's multiple ways to get involved with Mercy Ships. Even liking, sharing or following us on social media helps spread the word. I like to commission everyone as a recruiter, and so if you're listening to this podcast today and you have somebody in your network that would be over the moon excited to hear about this opportunity, I would love for you to share this out with your network, your friends and families. Maybe you can't go do a medical missionary trip, but you know somebody that might be interested in that, and so I would love to commission all of you as recruiters today please share out the opportunities. Go follow Mercy Ships on social media. Each and every one of us can get involved in some kind of capacity, and so this is your invitation Please join us in any capacity that you're able to join us.
Speaker 1:Unbelievable. Now you've given us so much to talk about with the Mercy Ship, but if you could give one piece of advice to someone considering joining Mercy Ships, what would it be?
Speaker 3:My advice would be to just do it. I think that we can get in our own heads and we can talk ourselves out of doing anything. Get in our own heads and we can talk ourselves out of doing anything. I would. I would say don't let fear stop you, and and this might not just be advice for mercy ships but whatever is out there tugging on your heart, just do it.
Speaker 3:I know that we're coming up on the new year and a lot of our new year's resolutions are going to be like to go back to the gym, and going to the gym is the worst thing ever when you've been out of practice for a long time. But they always tell you to just just start. Start wherever you're at, and so that's my advice for Mercy Ships is don't let anything stand in your way. If this is tugging at your heart, start the application. Just take that first step. Reach out to me and let's further the conversation. Clearly, I like to talk. I think I've rambled in this podcast a lot, and so I'd be happy to chat with each and every one of you about this experience and this opportunity. But yeah, my, my advice is just just do it. Jump in. It's going to change your life.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Well, kim, I appreciate you coming on my podcast and you're welcome to come back anytime, and the work you're doing is amazing, and if there's any way I can assist you besides flying across seas, please reach out to me. I'll help you any way I can and I thank you for coming on because I was really informative for me, so I know the listeners are. Probably we'll get a lot of information from this also.
Speaker 3:Yeah Well, thanks so much for the invite and I hope to come again. I hope that I've gained several new friends through this podcast experience, and I mean it. Please reach out with any questions that you have, and I hope to be on the podcast again soon.
Speaker 1:As we wrap up this inspiring episode of HTM on the Line, I want to take a moment to thank Kimberly Ames for sharing her powerful story and shedding light on the transformative work being done by Mercy Ships. On the transformative work being done by Mercy Ships From life-changing surgeries to groundbreaking educational programs, it's clear that Mercy Ships is more than just a floating hospital. It's a beacon of hope for undeserved communities around the world. Kimberly's passion, dedication and heartfelt advice reminds us that each of us has the power to make a difference, whether by volunteering, supporting or simply sharing this mission with others. To learn more about Mercy Ships, explore volunteer opportunities or find ways to support this incredible cause, visit their website at mercyshiftsorg. And, as always, if today's episode moved, you share it with your network and let's keep the conversation going. Until next time. Keep rising, keep leading and keep making an impact. This is Brian Hawkins Sr signing off from HTM Underline Stay inspired.
