A collaborative team of faculty and students from Research College of Nursing spent two weeks in northern Uganda. Working directly with students and faculty of St. Mary’s Lacor Hospital and School of Nursing, our students assisted in the classroom teaching “Helping Babies Breathe” – a curriculum from the World Health Organization and American Academy of Pediatrics.
Engaged Global Citizens
Course director, Mary Smith, has been influential in this Transcultural Nursing Immersion course since its inception nearly a decade ago.
“I’m hooked on this program and the life-changing opportunity it provides,” explains Smith. RCoN students observed cultural practice and traditional healing while experiencing challenges of poverty and the impact it has on public health. “It’s truly a cooperative experience where the faculty and students from both continents learn from one another and gain an enhanced understanding of patient care that will forever benefit their nursing careers.”
Above and Beyond
Each year RCoN students host a supply drive to collect school supplies for children at orphanages and local schools. Students also raised a record-setting $3 thousand in monetary donations. “They were able to make significant contributions to critical situations at Lacor hospital including helping an abandoned infant with care for a year at St. Jude’s orphanage and nursing scholarships for graduates at Ocer Campion Jesuit College,” said Smith.
Student Reflections
“I’m feeling extremely blessed and grateful to have been chosen for this opportunity of a lifetime. I loved everything we did, everyone we met and cared for, and what we were able to provide. I will never forget it and look forward to where I travel next.”
“I’m extremely satisfied with my internship experience! I only wish we could have stayed longer!”
“I’m full of emotions and thankful for the opportunity – I am eager to do another medical mission. I wish everyone could see what we saw in Uganda.”
Thank you donors!
This trip is made possible thanks to the generous contributions of our community donors. If you are interested in helping to support nursing students on future trips, please consider donating to The Research Foundation.