Feature Profile of Chris Adkins for Com 322

Floyd Medical Center is proud of its green ambulances, but if Chris Adkins has his way, four years from now, they will represent more than just a colorful ride to the hospital. Adkins wants to recreate the Emergency Medical Service that they are a part of to save lives around the world. His dream is beginning to materialize as he has received a scholarship allowing him to study the EMS of Northwest Georgia. With this knowledge he is going to travel to Bangladesh this summer in hopes of establishing a similar EMS there.

Bangladesh is more than 8,000 miles from Georgia; however, for Adkins it is never far from his mind. He was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and spent the majority of his adolescent life in southwest Asia. Adkins’ parents, Johnny and Jacquelyn, served as missionaries and raised their three children in this developing nation. Adkins grew up speaking English and attending an elementary school for international children.

Adkins’ venturesome and independent nature began to develop as he left his parents to attend boarding school in fifth grade. Adkins said that his parents sent him to the international school in India because it was the only place he could get a good education. The two-and-a-half day trek by plane and train that separated Adkins from his parents limited his contact with them. While most American fifth graders were just mastering the boldness to leave their mom for a week at summer camp, Adkins was separated from his parents for at least 10 weeks at a time.
 
While he spent most of his school years at the boarding school, occasionally his parents’ work called them back to the United States. Adkins’ father is a native of Tennessee, and his mother is from England, thus giving him dual citizenship with the United Kingdom. The longest period of time that he stayed in the United States was about a year while he attended the Christian Academy of Knoxville for seventh grade.

Adkins’ family returned to Bangladesh, where he finished boarding school until he graduated after 11th grade. Adkins explained that India uses the British school system that ends a year earlier than American systems.

Returning to the states was a time of uncertainty for Adkins. Yet, had it not been for this challenging time, his dreams and passions of helping the people of Bangladesh may have not materialized. He was 16 years old, a high school graduate and adjusting to the American culture once again. “My parents thought I was too young to go straight to college,” Adkins said, “and, I’m glad they did.”

Adkins spent his gap years working on his certification as an Emergency Medical Technician through a community college’s program in Knoxville. In order to receive a certification, he had to be 18 years old, but Adkins did not let his youth deter him from his ambitions. He took the courses and simply wasn’t mailed his certification until after his 18th birthday two years later. He demonstrated maturity and dedication throughout the program. The program required more than 50 combined hours of working in both an emergency room and on an ambulance. He recalls giving numerous IV’s and even practicing on his own arm to perfect the skill.

After maturing and adjusting to the culture, 17-year-old Adkins started his freshman year at Berry College. The WinShape College Program initially attracted him to Berry because it reminded him of his boarding school in India. “WinShape had a strong sense of community, and I just loved that,” Adkins said.

Adkins continued to develop his interest in medicine as a biochemistry major. He also utilized his EMT training by working in the athletic training room.

During spring of 2005, Adkins learned that he received a research scholarship. As a Richard’s scholar, he received $5,000 to research anything beyond the limits of the classroom experience. Adkins’ proposal for the grant was titled, “Emergency Medical Service: Applying proved principles to the creation of an EMS in the context of a developing nation.” However, he admitted that coming up with the title might have taken longer than any other part of his project.

The summer of 2005 was a time of research and background work for his project. He worked with various health and emergency care providers in the Rome area and learned what elements are necessary to make an EMS work efficiently. “I defined 12 parameters that make up the backbone of an EMS,” Adkins said. “They give you the steps to take if you want EMS to work.”

Currently, Adkins is preparing to travel to Bangladesh this summer to explore the feasibility of establishing a permanent EMS. He explained that there is an extremely high fatality rate in car accidents because there is not an EMS. “I deeply love Bangladesh, and I wanted to find some way to help them,” Adkins said. “They don’t have anything at all.”

This summer will not be an isolated experience for Adkins, but only the beginning of his dream. He is currently studying to attend medical school. He would like to continue to work with developing nations after he graduates. Ideally, he envisions himself creating a non-profit international organization that creates effective EMS’s in developing nations around the world.

Being practical minded, he does have a backup plan if saving the world doesn’t work. However, it is an equally lofty goal. He would like to work in a think tank organization focused on medicine and healthcare in developing nations. Either way, ten years from now he sees himself with a family, maybe a dog, but definitely a motorcycle.