Have you ever wanted to apply the skills taught in the classroom to real life situations? One graduate student and 10 seniors in the Dr. Susan L. Davis, RN, & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing were afforded that opportunity when they traveled to Berekum, Ghana from Oct. 12 to Oct. 21.
As part of the Global Clinical Opportunities program, the students were able to gain practical experience in healthcare and experience Ghana’s culture. Sacred Heart University has a partnership with the Holy Family Nursing and Midwifery Teaching College and Holy Family Hospital, which allows students to work with, learn from and teach Ghanaian healthcare workers and students.
“We figured out that the nurses there do not do the same as the nurses do here, and because of that, we were able to educate them a lot. I taught a nursing student how to read an EKG and label wound care dressings. We were able to help them as much as they were helping us,” said senior Michaela Farley.
The nursing students and instructors with teachers and students from a Ghanaian school with the toys, games and coloring supplies that were being donated.
Contributed by Michaela Farley, ’24
Nursing students must complete a set number of clinical hours. The time spent in the Holy Family Hospital went towards each student’s total number of hours.
The clinical experience in Ghana differs from the program at the university by giving the students autonomy under supervision.
“We hope they are going to build confidence in their clinical skills and that they are going to be able to hone in on their clinical judgment skills by taking in different experiences,” said Dr. Heather Ferrillo, program director. “You need to be able to apply what you have learned in different settings versus in a controlled situation, which is what we tend to give them.”
In addition to these learning opportunities, the students also individually raised funds for donations.
The donated supplies went to the hospital, nursing school and elementary school, the places where the nursing students spent time. Donated supplies included a low fidelity mannequin, supplies for the lab/hospital, textbooks and school supplies.
“We went to two of the elementary schools, which was so cute because all the kids were so excited about simple things like crayons and pencils. That was one of my favorite parts,” said Farley.
The students were also able to learn about Ghana’s culture during their trip. They visited two of the local elementary schools, shopped at a market and stopped at a Portuguese slave castle before flying back to the United States.
“In caring for people that come from different cultures with different belief systems and religions, this immersion really has helped them to achieve some of that sensitivity and awareness in terms of their beliefs and practices around health,” said Prof. Elizabeth Saska, assistant program director.
Ghana is an economically developing country located on the west coast of Africa. The country has limited resources but is still able to supply medical treatment and care to those in need.
“They used a Poland Springs type water bottle to humidify oxygen for a newborn. At the beginning of the week, the students said, ‘I cannot believe they are doing this,’ but by the end of the week they thought it was so cool that they were able to think of using that to humidify the necessary oxygen,” said Ferrillo.
The Oct. 2024 trip marked the first time since 2019 that the program traveled to Ghana. Each student needed to be vaccinated and had to receive a green card to be able to go on this trip.
The planning for the trip happens with the assistance of the Holy Family Nursing and Midwifery Teaching College.
“The trip requires a lot of planning, but moving forward, we do plan to hopefully offer this yearly,” Ferrillo said.
