UPEI Nursing Students Settle In...

Words can not express the feelings we have had over the past week and a half. Overwhelming at times, but yet so very rewarding! We are a group of four nursing students from the University of Prince Edward Island who are in our final few months of the BScN program. We are here on one of our final clinical placements thanks to Farmers Helping Farmers and UPEI's School of Nursing.We have been here for almost 2 weeks now.. each day filled with many learning experiences.
We are residing and practicing at St. Theresa's Missionary Hospital in Kiirua. Here we have been welcomed with open arms by all the Sisters and staff, and could not feel any more welcomed then we do! We are rotating throughout the hospital working on units such as Maternity, Pediatrics, Outpatients, Medical, and CCC(a HIV/Aids treatment program).
On the other 2 days of the week we are participating in a HIV outreach program in different communities and working at a children's home where many children are so fortunatly cared for. On one of our outreach days we were blessed to meet a family who we made a strong connection with. Both the mother and father are HIV positive and have just givin birth to a baby girl. Together, we could not resist helping them in some way. As a group we decided we would purchase a goat for them so they would have milk to feed their new arrival.. we did this with money donated from our nursing class back home!
This week we were also able to put our wellness promotion/illness prevention skills to work. One of the nursing students was able to visit 2 schools and teach over 400 students proper handwashing techniques and the importance of doing so. Farmers Helping Farmers made this possible by installing handwashing stations at each school involved and providing them with soap and water! It is hard to imagine just how much impact this project will have on the health of all these little angels! SOOOO rewarding!


This weekend we will also be conducting an educational session and blood pressure clinic for the Muchui womens group.. we will update on this next week and fill in the details.
See you next week,
James, Katie, Kaela, and Lisa