Paper
Thursday, 20 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Preparing Nurses for Tomorrow's Healthcare
Nursing Study Abroad in Honduras: A Collaborative Community Health Project
Melissa Wafer, RN, MSN, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Southeastern Louisiana University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Learning Objective #1: Compare and contrast short term medical mission and with community health programs.
Learning Objective #2: Assess the applicability of collaborative study abroad programs to impact health outcomes of at-risk populations.
There is much interest in engaging college students in service-learning programs. University based study abroad programs provide fertile ground for service-learning by placing students in communities all over the world where there is tremendous need.   In 2005, a nursing study abroad program from Southeastern Louisiana University (SELU) engaged students in a collaborative service-learning project in the communities of Guaimaca and Talanga, Honduras.  SELU School of Nursing, Universidad Nacional Autonomia de Honduras School of Nursing, and the Episcopal Church of Honduras collaborated to implement a short-term medical mission. This unique program provided community health clinical experiences for Honduran and North American nursing students.  The program focus was provision of a short-term medical mission as a structured community health initiative. This presentation will showcase the evaluation of the study abroad program and recommendations for the 2006 service-learning collaboration.

See more of Preparing Nurses for Tomorrow's Healthcare
See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)