Nursing Outreach
3rd International Public Health Nursing Conference
Why go on this trip?
- Create international connections and collaborate with nurses from around the world
- Focus on the health promotion aspects of nursing as well as learn about global health issues
- Enjoy the wonders of western Ireland!
During August 18-29, 2013, Carroll nursing faculty Donna Greenwood will lead student nurses and nursing alumni on a study abroad experience in Ireland, highlighted by the 3rd International Public Health Nursing Conference on August 25-28. Participants will develop a personal vision, mission, and philosophy of nursing shaped by visiting Western Ireland, participating in an international nursing research conference, and collaborating with nurses from around the world.
Get more information about the conference at http://www.iphnc2013.com.
Vision:
Increased understanding of global health issues and the forging of international partnerships will positively influence the future practice of professional nursing.
For more information, contact Faculty Coordinator: Donna Greenwood MSN, RN, dgreenwo@carroll.edu; (406) 447-5493
Prerequisites:
Prerequisites for participating in this study abroad experience are formal acceptance into the Carroll College nursing program or Registered Nurse status, and attendance at two orientation and preparation meetings. Students enrolling in this experience as a credited course of study will register for Nu321 International Public Health Nursing for fall 2013.
Some students who attend the Ireland study abroad experience will also complete the course NU 389 International Nursing Collaboration in Spring 2013 with Professor Greenwood. These students will hopefully have the opportunity to present a poster or presentation at the international conference related to their experiences in this course. Nu389 will utilize forms of electronic communication to acquaint students with global public health issues and network with nursing colleagues around the world.
Goals:
The Study Abroad experience (Nu321 if taking for credit) has three goals: 1) To explore the history, culture and environment of the Western region of Ireland, 2) To participate in a scholarly international public health nursing conference, and 3) To initiate on-going partnerships with international nurse leaders and nursing students utilizing guiding principles from international and national professional nursing organizations.
NU 321 Course Student Learning Outcomes:
- Compare the meaning of the concepts: public health, public health nursing and primary care from other countries represented at the 3rd International Public Health Conference.
- Assess Western Ireland from a Public Health Nursing Perspective.
- Identify worldwide trends and issues in public health nursing.
- Identify nursing colleagues from at least three other continents for future collaboration as a student and as a practicing nurse.
- Integrate the learning from this study abroad experience into a personal vision, mission and philosophy of professional nursing practice.
Past Trips with the Carroll Department of Nursing
Return to the Ki
ngdom of Swaziland
New Perspectives on the AIDS Pandemic
In May 2006, Aubrey Crue and the 13 other Carroll students who participated in this year’s Swaziland Study Abroad trip, entitled “Exploring Compassionate AIDS Care in Southern Africa,” returned with new perspectives and greater appreciation for the nursing profession. On May 9-26, 2006, Aubrey and her fellow Saints journeyed to the southern African kingdom to witness the work of Swazi parish nurses, the first of their kind on the continent. This was the largest Carroll student group ever to enroll in the Swazi study abroad course, now in its third year. Led by Carroll Nursing Department Chair Dr. Cynthia Gustafson, who helped establish parish nursing in Africa, the students saw the horrors of the disease and the sorrows of the survivors. They also found hope.
“I have opened my eyes to new experiences and learned more about HIV/AIDS. I’ve learned not be judgmental and to see AIDS in a new light.” — Carroll nursing student Aubrey Crue
Swaziland and Montana have approximately the same population, less than a million people each. While a total of 353 Montanans have contracted the disease since the outbreak began 25 years ago, Swaziland by contrast now has a quarter of a million people infected, according to UNICEF. According to Derek Von Wissell, national director of Swaziland’s National Emergency Response Council on HIV/AIDS (NERCHA), over 56 percent of Swazi citizens ages 25 to 29 are infected with the virus, and studies have shown that almost 40 percent of women giving birth in Swaziland test positive for HIV. The average life expectancy in Swaziland has declined from 55 years in the late 1980s to age 39 today. By the end of the decade, 200,000 people will die of AIDS in Swaziland. UNICEF estimates the number of Swazi children orphaned by HIV/AIDS at over 70,000. Experts project that by 2010 orphans will number 120,000, or 12 percent of Swaziland’s entire population.