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Monday, 18 November 2013
Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to identify the importance of teaching younger generations health promotion/disease prevention techniques, as a way of teaching the whole population.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to recognize the importance of collaborating with other disciplines and organizations to be successful in providing the best care.
Healthcare based service learning trips to third world countries offer nurses immeasurable insight and opportunities to grow and positively impact populations in need. It offers nurses the chance to share clinical knowledge and skills while initiating global health movements to improve overall care. In January 2013, sixteen nursing students and graduate nurses from Edgewood College along with 3 nursing professors, traveled from Madison, Wisconsin to Cambodia for two weeks to provide care to under-served pediatric and women’s populations. The students attended weekly Human Issues classes where they prepared for the trip by learning about Cambodia’s history, culture, and health inequities. Students collected medical and personal hygiene supplies and assembled over 1000 hygiene packs, which were distributed to children and parents. They designed education projects and taught about the benefits of clean water, dental hygiene, nutrition, treatment and prevention of scabies and lice, basic sex education, and feminine hygiene. Each clinic site location and rural observation was arranged through partnerships with one of the following three Cambodian organizations: Family Care Foundation: Cornerstone Project, Angkor Hospital for Children, and Cambodian School Project. Through collaboration with Cambodian translators, participants provided pediatric assessments, triage care, hospital referrals, and basic health education to over 950 patients throughout seven clinic days. Participants experienced working in unpredictable circumstances and making the most of the available resources while maintaining the best interest of their patients. As these unknown boundaries were crossed, nursing students raised the standard of care and built a strong foundation in combating health disparities among Cambodia’s vulnerable, rural villages. After bearing witness to extreme social injustice, they returned home with the compassion and courage necessary to inspire colleagues, family members, and healthcare professionals alike to collectively move forward in the direction of change: a change for the better, to help those who cannot help themselves.