Well checks are currently underway at Three Angels Medical Clinic.
This is a busy time for our medical staff as they see and evaluate every single child in our care—all 12 orphans at Angel House and all 270 students at Three Angels Christian Academy (you can read more about that HERE in another blog story, “Checking Up”.)
Tabithas Joseph, our Registered Nurse, is a seasoned pro when it comes to well checks. Having served three out of her four years in nursing with Three Angels, we’ve watched her learn all the ropes quickly. She has proven not only to be professional and efficient, but Tabithas has also earned the trust and affection of her patients with a kind and pleasant demeanor that puts everyone at ease.
Although well checks keep Tabithas and her co-staff busy only a few weeks, there is plenty to keep up with throughout the year. From administering vitamins to our 270 Academy students every morning, to caring daily for patients from our local community, then managing our in-house pharmacy and assisting our resident Doctor Laurin with community health seminars at Kenbe Fèm, Tabithas is an enormous asset, and we feel quite fortunate to have her on our team!
Always the first to care for her friends if they became sick or were injured, it seemed that from a young age Tabithas was destined to become a nurse. Growing up with a diabetic father and a mother struggling with hypertension, she knew she needed training to help care for them as they grew older since there is no hospital close by. Helping to relieve people of their pain and suffering continues to be Tabithas’ passion!
What doesn’t inspire passion, however, is the current obstacle-filled political climate. Between the changes in government offices and unrest on the streets, even routine processes, such as renewing the clinic’s operating license, are tedious and challenging. Tabithas is tenacious, though, and she continues to make sure Three Angels is up to date and equipped to continue serving our community of people.
Tabithas counts her blessings in spite of these challenges, and she is thankful for even the difficult experiences that teach her something new every day. Each new experience helps to build a strong foundation for her future, which include plans to one day become a nurse practitioner. She dreams of expanding Three Angels’ Medical Clinic to include medical specialists, accommodate an increased patient capacity, and better treat and educate maternity patients. With a larger and better equipped Medical Clinic in our sights (read about our Kenbe Fèm BuildUP Project HERE,) that dream is closer than ever to coming true!
And Tabithas has faith and confidence in those dreams. She recounts a time when, as a nursing student, she prayed for enough money to attend a medical seminar in Miami. Sure enough, a family friend provided for that trip, which added to her bank of knowledge and experience as well as increased her faith.
Our own Lisa Berg had the unexpected opportunity to experience Tabithas’ bedside manner first hand. After suffering a travel injury on her recent journey to Haiti, Lisa was left with intense pain and loss of mobility in her shoulder. Tabithas didn’t lose a moment getting her into the clinic for treatment, translating flawlessly between English-speaking Lisa and the Creole-speaking doctor. Lisa received the best possible care, but she was also treated to a front-row view of Nurse Tabithas in action and observed her rare combination of a sweet spirit, efficiency, and professionalism. She sounds like exactly the sort of nurse we’d all hope to encounter under such conditions!
Nurse Tabithas still lives at home where she can continue to care for her parents. In her free hours, she enjoys romantic movies—especially her favorite film, “A Walk To Remember.” Like many of us, she finds TV shows such as “Lie to Me” or hospital series like “Grey’s Anatomy” to be fun distractions.
But what’s next for Tabithas? Besides continuing her education to become a nurse practitioner, a future with a husband and three children of her own is on her radar. We don’t think there could be any children more fortunate than these to call Nurse Tabithas “Mom,” and we’re grateful that both the children we serve and our local community get to know her too and experience her exceptional care.
Thank you, Nurse Tabithas! We are so lucky you are part of our team!
Enjoy some photos of our back-to-school well checks. Nurse Tabithas and Dr. Laurin have been taking great care of all 270 children!
