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Oct. 6, 2004
Contact: Gordon
Ovenshine 724-738-4854
MEDICAL SUPPLIES DRIVE
UNDER WAY FOR SRU NURSING FACULTY,
STUDENTS’ SECOND
HUMANITARIAN TRIP TO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.
– Slippery Rock University nursing faculty Gretchen Schumacher and Kerry Risco and
undergraduate and graduate nursing
students have launched a collection drive for their second visit to
the Dominican Republic, where they will deliver medicine and
provide health care to rural villagers.
Organizers of the March trip say
SRU’sDominican Republic Medical Outreach Spring
Break 2005 needs medicines, vitamins, first aid equipment and
prosthetics. Supplies may be delivered to 115 Strain Behavior
Science Building. See http://academics.sru.edu/nursing/drwebsite.htm
for a list of needed medicines and to make a tax-deductible
contribution.
SRU’s Office of International Initiatives is sponsoring the
March 3-12 outreach. The trip is part of classes that include an
international component offered during spring break.
Undergraduate and graduate nursing students will provide primary
and wellness care.
Four local physicians have
volunteered to help prepare SRU family nurse practitioner students
to provide primary care to Dominicans, Schumacher said. On
five days, the team will depart Santo Domingo for a different rural
village on the city’s outskirts. They will and set up a
clinic, health education area and
pharmacy.
The nurse practitioner students will gain direct clinical
experience that will prepare them for future practicing roles as
nurse practitioners. In addition, they will be immersed in the
village setting and introduced the concept of caring for
individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Undergraduate nursing students who are registered
nurses seeking the baccalaureate degree will have the opportunity
to apply their course learning as well.
“The growing diversity of the U.S. population is
frequently cited as a reason to prepare more culturally competent
nurses,” Schumacher said. “This trip will help students
to identify health care issues in diverse populations then, upon
their return to the U.S. students will have the opportunity to
transfers and use this knowledge in their clinical setting.
International and trans-cultural experiences on a healthcare
worker’s resume have been shown to be worth their weight in
gold.”
#PR, PN,
PgN
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