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“At the end of the course 100 percent [of the students] reported their lives having been transformed,” Assistant Professor of Nursing Beverly Lyne said about the trip 12 nursing students took to Nicaragua for 11 days.
While there, the students checked patients vitals, administered medication, assisted physicians and consulted with village members about overdue health issues.
Each student took turns filling different roles from day to day, such as leader of the day, who was responsible for daily debriefings and the daily blog-style Facebook post.
The trip consisted of a lot of early mornings with a 6 a.m. siren announcing breakfast and leaving the village at 3 on other mornings to travel by truck to neighboring villages. One day they managed to treat 260 patients.
“Clinical experience, cultural immersion and leadership development were the three components of the course,” Lyne said.
Traveling to one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere and seeing their healthcare and the community’s reaction towards their health can have a long lasting effect.
“Considering all that they lack, Nicaraguans are incredibly resourceful and ultimately extremely grateful for what they have,” a Facebook post on July 28 said.
The most exciting part of the trip for Lyne was “the transformation in the students going from the anticipation of doing good to actually doing it and seeing the effect it has.”
The students were in charge of planning all aspects of the trip, from holding pre-trip seminars, ordering supplies and making appropriate travel arrangements. They also are in charge of activities after the trip, including the presentation to be given Wednesday. It is this year’s first installment of the Outdoor Program’s Wednesday Night Wandering series, which is held every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in room 155 in the Maverick Center Auditorium.
The students will give a full presentation on the trip, sharing their experiences and pictures from the trip. Professor Lyne will also be there to discuss future trip possibilities.
“The program goal is to have at least one international course each year,” Lyne said.
She hopes to grow the Global Health program to eventually encompass several trips each year, potentially during J-term.
“I could see us doing at least two a year, maybe with smaller groups,” Lyne said.
To find out more details about the trip, check the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GlobalHealthNicaragua2012.
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