California State University, Bakersfield will soon be able to provide more study abroad opportunities to its nursing students.
The university has received a $35,000 Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) grant from the U.S. State Department to support a new study abroad program that includes faculty-led trips to developing nations.
CSUB is the only CSU to receive an IDEAS grant this year and one of only five institutions in California to receive one.
“The Study Abroad and Fulbright Programs Office is very happy to receive the IDEAS award,” said office Director Yuri Sakamaki. “We would like to thank all the people on campus who helped us put together the compelling proposal. We continue to look forward to working with Professor Krystal Ball to bring study abroad opportunities to our students.”
The trips are part of a new course being offered at CSUB: Service Learning and Nursing Leadership in Global Communities. Up to 50 students will have the opportunity to participate in faculty-led trips during summer and winter breaks.
Prior to visiting another country, Ball said students must meet as part of the course to participate in workshops and learn about what to expect and how to prepare.
During trips, nursing students will participate in medical outreach campaigns in partnership with local doctors and translators. They will visit villages and other settings to participate in health fairs in which they will provide health education to residents, get blood pressure and glucose readings, perform assessments and more.
The goal of the program is twofold, according to Ball: to give students real-world experience where they can apply and develop their nursing skills as well as to educate students on the health needs of developing nations.
“We really want to teach them how to give culturally competent care, to make them think ‘how can I give care to someone who isn’t like me, who has a language barrier, who doesn’t have financial means?'” she said.
Ball said nursing students need to be exposed to other countries to learn more about health disparities, as this will help them develop a better understanding of and more empathy for patients from other cultures, whom students will eventually serve in their own communities.
“When it comes down to it, it’s just you and another human being — using your skills to help another human being,” she said. “These trips can spark their passion for what nursing can be.”
A group of 21 nursing students participated in a 11-day pilot trip over the summer in Peru, which Ball said was very successful with more than 500 patients served.
“It was amazing. We couldn’t have asked for a better first trip,” she said. “The students were so excited to get involved.”
The program is now being expanded to include four other countries: Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Micronesia. The next trip is expected to take place next summer in Guatemala.
Ball is grateful for the IDEAS grant and said it will help the university fund more trips for nursing students.
“It’s a real big feather in our cap to be able to open this up,” she said. “This sets a precedent for what the nursing program could be for lots of students moving into the future.”
Nursing students interested in studying abroad must already have been admitted into CSUB’s nursing program. Up to 50 students can sign up each year. For more information, visit csub.edu/nursing.
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