Albert S. Bowie
Perseverance
Pays Off
Albert
Bowie, Ohkay Owingeh (formerly San Juan Pueblo), Pharm.D.,
is currently acting director of the Santa Clara Health
Center in the Santa Fe Service Unit of the Indian Health
Service. When the following article was published, Bowie
had recently earned his Pharm.D. and was preparing to go to
Anchorage to serve his payback to the Indian Health
Service. An update follows the article.
Albert Bowie, San Juan Pueblo, has been interested in the
field of medicine as long as he can remember. While growing
up on the reservation in the Española Valley of New Mexico,
Bowie was exposed to the use of traditional plant medicine
for healing purposes. By the seventh grade, his
determination to pursue a health career was already
established. It wasn’t until his junior year of high
school, however, that Bowie was introduced to the field of
pharmacy through a health career opportunity program
offered by the University of New Mexico to expose
prospective college students to the allied health
possessions. Bowie already knew that “becoming a medical
doctor didn’t fit me” whereas pharmacy “clicked – it fit”
In 1990, Bowie entered the University of New Mexico (UNM)
as a pre-pharmacy major in the bachelor of science (B.S.)
program. Bowie remembers that first year as rough. He
failed a pharmacy class in his first semester, which, in
his words, “hit pretty hard.” According to Bowie, he was
“embarrassed, ashamed, isolated.” He knew that he was one
of a handful of Native American pharmacy students in the
country. He also knew that slightly more than half of all
pharmacy students who started the program at UNM were
likely to graduate in pharmacy. Bowie did not want to be on
the negative end of that statistic. So he forced himself to
discuss his options with the assistant dean of the pharmacy
program, mustered the courage to face the other students in
his program, and revamped his course load. He ended up
retaking two of his pharmacy courses that first year and
reducing his semester hours to allow him to learn at a pace
more suitable to him.
During his fourth year at UNM, Bowie applied for and was
accepted into the highly-competitive Pharm.D. (Doctor of
Pharmacy) program. As a Pharm.D. major Bowie states, “I
often had a feeling I had eyes on me –anything I did would
probably have an effect on the profession and other (Native
American) students who would follow behind me. I spent a
lot of time in the library and made a lot of sacrifices”
which included not being able to be at home with his
people. Bowie was also challenged by his living situation.
He had moved off campus during his first year in the B.S.
program, only to find himself facing the day-to-day demands
of cooking, transportation (he didn’t have a car) and bill
playing. He decided to return to the dormitory so that he
could concentrate on his studies and experience the
conveniences dorm life offered. Upon his return, Bowie
found himself “facing the stigma of being older in a dorm
with younger students.” Fortunately, he was able to find a
roommate who was a serious student “even older than me”
Bowie lauds Dr. Joe Hubbard, one of his pharmacy professors
at UNM for “encouraging me to trust I could do it, get
through and be an asset to the profession of pharmacy.” He
also credits his family for supporting him throughout his
intense academic journey. His parents, both college
graduates themselves, “didn’t push, they just supported”
and his older sister and brother and younger sister “never
looked down on me.”
During his training, Bowie participated in several paid
internships to heighten his understanding and experience in
the technical end of pharmacy. In 1993, his internship took
him to Alaska where he spent three months working in a
Juneau clinic through Indian Health Service’s COSTEP
(Commissioned Officer Student Training and Externship
Program). IHS paid for
his last year of school in exchange for his commitment to
give them two years of his time in Anchorage upon
completing his residency. In his last year, Bowie
participated in 10 externships of four weeks duration each.
This part of the training was a hands-on opportunity to
follow patients, go on morning rounds, work in the
intensive care unit and participate in patients’ therapy
plans.
In May 1996, Albert Bowie became the first Native American
person to graduate from UNM’s Doctor of Pharmacy program.
He spent the following year as a resident in pediatric
pharmacy at the highly acclaimed Children’s Hospital in
Denver. “Working with children is rewarding – it’s nice to
know you can have an impact and to see the difference
you’re making,” stated Bowie, in considering his year at
Children’s “It also gets depressing and frustrating.” It
was hard for Bowie to relocate so far from home after
spending six years at a school located only two hours from
his family home. His schedule during his residency was also
exhausting--twelve 10-hour days on, and two days off.
During this time Bowie was unable to visit his family as
often as he would have liked. Fortunately, one of his
sisters had moved to Denver earlier, and he was able to
live with her while pursuing his residency.
In mid July of 1997, Albert Bowie packed up his
possessions, drove to his family’s home in New Mexico for a
brief visit, and went off to Anchorage to fulfill his
obligation with Indian Health Service. Thanks to his
perseverance and willingness to meet challenges head on, it
is clear that Bowie will serve with integrity, compassion
and technical skill all those who seek his services now and
in the future.
The
article above, which was written by Barbra Wakshul,
was first published in the Autumn 1997 issue of
Winds of Change. (The cover
artist is Sam English, Ojibwe.)
Update 2010
Dr.
Bowie: “I
am still Acting Health Center Director at Santa Clara
Health Center. Only update is my family continues to
grow as we have 4 children.”
Update
2008
In August 1997, when Bowie reported to Anchorage Medical
Center as a staff pharmacist, he was hoping to work on a
pediatric inpatient (hospital-based) service. Soon, though,
he found that outpatient care was where his life in
pharmacy would be. In addition, he moved from being a
learner to a teacher. “I worked with over 12 schools of
pharmacy,” he recalls, “setting up rotations, precepting
students and completing evaluations.”
After nearly two years in Anchorage, Bowie felt a calling
to go home to New Mexico. He wanted to work at Santa Clara
Health Center, the center that serves the people of his
Pueblo, but no positions were available. Instead he took a
position at Taos-Picuris Health Center in Taos Pueblo, New
Mexico.
In retrospect, Bowie is glad that he had five and one half
years at Taos Pueblo before he returned home to practice.
During his time at Taos Pueblo he met and married his wife,
Chastity, and they had the first of their three children.
He also had an opportunity to mature and fine-tune his
skills as a pharmacist before dealing with the sometimes
challenging situation of being home in a new role, caring
for family and friends.
In November, 2004 when Bowie became chief pharmacist at the
Santa Clara Health Center, he indeed faced challenges. As a
pharmacist he learned that one of his aunts had a
prescription for a medication for cancer. Bowie let his
aunt know that he would carry this information, keeping it
to himself until she told other family members about her
illness. (Unfortunately, Bowie’s aunt declined in health
and had an untimely death.)
Also, Bowie had to deal with the loss of friends with whom
he had gone to school, played sports and taken part in
Pueblo activities. They died of alcohol and drug abuse and
other causes. Working with family and friends, Bowie says,
“is the most rewarding and also the toughest assignment.”
Bowie is eager to see American Indian and Alaska Natives
enter careers in pharmacy. “Your role allows you to give
back to Native people,” he says. "Pharmacists in IHS help
providers choose the right medications for their patients,
and they make sure that patients understand their
medications and when and how to take them. In addition,
pharmacists are involved in clinics for issues and
conditions such as smoking cessation, hypertension, and
asthma." Bowie says that he has been trained to give
immunizations and to triage patients so he often helps the
nurses when they are short staffed.
In his current position as acting director of Santa Clara
Health Center, Bowie also has administrative
responsibilities. He has had administrative
responsibilities in the past, for example, in 2005 he was
acting chief pharmacist of the Santa Fe Service Unit. In
part he was prepared for his leadership roles when he
participated in the IHS executive leadership program.
Advice
to Students
Bowie says, “If you feel that schooling is impossible, ask
for help from your professors or talk with a family member.
Call me (505 753-9421 ext 215), if you like, for a little
boost. Several times in my schooling I did not want to
go on. You have to know that you can do it, and the rewards
are for a life time. Yes, it is hard to be away from
family, and if you are from a small town, it can be
intimidating at times especially at a large university. But
you now have tools that were not available to me such as
cell phones and e-mail, so use them to keep in contact.
“Do not guess when asked a question. If you feel rushed,
slow down. This worked in my school life and still today in
my work and personal life. I would rather have the
work done right rather than to have work completed fast but
possibly done incorrectly.
“When you make mistakes in life and pharmacy, remember
there are pharmacists like me who have made similar
mistakes. Learn from your mistakes. Overconfident people
can be very hard to work with, so be open to suggestions.
“Studying on Friday nights is a good habit to create. I
learned that after my F in college and stuck with my new
routine to get nearly straight As. Study some more on
Saturday during the day. Saturday night go out and have
some fun. Sunday, rest and exercise. Review a little Sunday
night. Of course, throw away your television.
“If you are already in pharmacy school or soon to be,
complete a residency as soon as you get out. Always look
for additional training. Do not be afraid to try something
new.
How does Bowie juggle his career and personal life?
“Communicate even to the point it hurts,” he says.
“Communication is not only talking but actively listening
as well.”
Bowie also notes the importance of self-care. “If you plan
to work at your home reservation, set boundaries,” he
suggests. For example, Bowie will not deliver medication to
people’s homes because he knows that will take a huge chunk
out of his personal time. “You need some separation of
business and personal life,” Bowie wisely declares.