He also participated in grand rounds in internal medicine, spending hours discussing differentials and pharmacological interventions — even presenting an entire round on a patient.

“I advocated for myself and actively participated in rounds and patient care and learned how to take vitals in a meaningful way and how to take an enhanced patient history,” Homsey said. “My background in emergency medicine as an EMT made me valuable to the doctors there.” 

In the acute emergency/casualty unit, Homsey saw patients with liver failure, cardiac issues, hypertension, malaria, hepatitis, tuberculosis, dengue fever and those with injuries suffered in motor vehicle collisions. 

“For the first time, I observed a bedside procedure to reduce swelling in a patient with severe head trauma,” he said. “We lost that patient, and I never even got to speak to him. I visited him in the morgue and will always remember that patient. It’s a reminder to advocate for patients and a reflection that everything we do as healthcare providers matters.” 

The rigorous medical diagnostics curriculum, including hematology, clinical chemistry and blood banking, at UD prepared him well for the experience.

“I was ahead of my peers when it came to diagnostics and understanding medical terms, which gave me confidence,” he said. “It was interesting to see the lab values I learned in school in a hospital setting and how they apply to a patient’s diagnosis.” 

Homsey is in the process of applying to PA school, and the experience solidified for him that he’s on the right path.  

“Shadowing in the hospital in Kenya gave me perspective and opened my eyes to different patient populations,” he said. “It also taught me compassion — and the importance of calling patients by their first names — not by their condition — and establishing a rapport to humanize the doctor-patient relationship for them.”

On weekends, Homsey traveled to rural villages with IMA, providing medical care, hosting mental health clinics and providing hygiene and menstrual education in schools. 

“IMA has a prominent presence in the community, and it was fulfilling to bring high-quality care to patients who’ve never seen a hospital or a doctor before,” he said. 

He also went on safari in Nairobi National Park and the Masai Mara, where he witnessed the Great Migration and made lifelong friends.

“There were hundreds of thousands of animals on the move — with wildebeests and zebras as far as the eye can see,” he said. “And the connections we made as fellow interns can never be recreated.” 

Homsey called the experience life-changing and encouraged UD students who aspire to be physicians, PAs or nurses to take the leap and go on an IMA internship abroad.

“Go in with an open mind, ask questions and learn as much as you can about their culture and the way they provide medical care so you can merge your existing clinical knowledge with real-world experience.”

Homsey hopes to one day return to Kenya and work at Coast General or get involved with Doctors Without Borders, a nonprofit that brings lifesaving care to people affected by conflict, disasters, epidemics, and social exclusion.

“It was so fulfilling to help patients who need it most,” Homsey said. “Every day reminded me why I want to be a PA and work in underserved communities.”