From Navy to Nightshift
Former US Navy Corpsman and Touro Alum '23 Martin Patrick Combines Clinical and Public Health to Better Serve Patients
Martin Patrick, PharmD, loves working the nightshift as a pharmacist at the West Haven Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center in New Haven, Connecticut. More responsibility. More chances for face-to-face contact with patients whose lives rely, in part, on his expertise.
In addition to patients already admitted to the 216-bed hospital, he handles all medications for the emergency room and inpatient floors.
“I like the pace, I like the variety, I like learning about new medications,” says Patrick, adding that a patient in the VA system takes an average of 12 prescriptions daily. “I like the direct impact I can make caring for people and making sure they’re getting the right medication at the right dosage, while considering how the drugs can affect these acutely ill patients. I learn something new every single day.”
That’s saying a lot for Patrick, who began his healthcare career, at age 18, as a hospital corpsman in the United States Navy.
U.S. Navy Service
By the time he had graduated from Touro College of Pharmacy (TCOP) in 2023, Patrick was a 10-year U.S. Navy veteran, a hospital corpsman, who provided all manner of medical care. He pulled wisdom teeth, handled emergencies, performed x-ray screenings for tuberculosis and other diseases, administered vaccinations, and more. The Virginia Beach, Virginia, native was deployed to eight countries on The USNS Mercy, the 1,000-bed hospital ship that provides medical care and humanitarian assistance to the Pacific Islands.
Patrick clicked with chemistry and pharmacology, so he chose TCOP for his advanced degree. It was his experience at Touro that convinced him to combine clinical work and public health.
“Touro requires you to get a lot of experience outside the classroom in different areas of pharmacology,” says Patrick, 39. “The most important thing they taught us was the existence of so many different fields within the career of a pharmacist and the many roles we can play in people’s lives.”
He saw that firsthand while working through pharmacy school as a medical support assistant in the emergency room at the Veterans Affairs Hospital during COVID-19.
“There was so much misinformation and fear about the vaccine,” he recalls. “Pharmacists were called upon to educate people, to help them understand what was true and what was not true. That was when I began to really understand what pharmacists can and should be used for—providing public health initiatives and health information to educate people in our communities.”
New Challenges
Now Patrick has taken on a new challenge, this one outside the VA system. He works part time at the Yale New Haven Hospital, where he deals with a different clientele.
“I like to try new things professionally, and at the VA, I’ve never had the chance to work with children and female patients,” he says. “It’s mostly older male vets, though we’re beginning to see more women.”
Patrick was raised in a family that believes in service. His father was a U.S. Navy sonar tech for 24 years and his sister was an electrician’s mate for eight years. Patrick entered the service as “just a kid,” and left as an adult who wanted to try his hand at civilian life.
The father of two daughters, Patrick hardly recognizes his younger self these days. Except for one teenage holdout.
“My sneaker collection,” he says, laughing about his 150-plus pairs (including Kobes and Jordans, among other rarities) piled high in his spare bedroom. “Can’t really explain it. But I wear them. Like my job, they keep me on my feet.”
