Lectures and overheads no part of this classroom; nursing students in Africa witness life's frailties This is academic coursework with a twist: the classroom, a dirty mission hospital where spread of AIDS is a constant concern; where resources are minimal and need is great; and 15,000 miles away from family and friends. "The whole experience there was life changing- completely," nursing student Jill Grove said ofthe six weeks she spent serving in the Chimala Mission Hospital in Tanzania, Africa. The tripwas part ofa radical alternative maternity clinicals program, begun in 1995, through which students could complete their clinicals in the most intense of possible environments. Instructor Janice Linck required the seven students on the trip to deliver a baby by themselves. She didn't expect that the requirement might be matched five times over; a grand total of 35 children came into the world with help from these seven women. "It was such a tremendous and unique learning experience," Grove said. "We learned to use what we had to provide the best care possible," she said. "I also learned to be creative and resourceful,"she added, saying that her confidence increased as days passed. This confidencewas shaken, but not broken, on the 4th of July, the night that both Grove and student Amanda Bawcom recalled with a twinge of sadness. On that night, a premature baby was delivered with underdeveloped lungs. Their instructor revived the infant and the students performed CPR for three hours, but the child's heart would not beat on its own. "It was hard to know that 15,000 miles away, saving that baby wouldn't have been a problem," Grove said, noting that even the most outdated American medical technology is lost on the Africans. "We didn't have what we needed, so we had to just let him go," Grove said. The painful experience will long be remembered by the group, who delivered five other babies that same night. "It broke my heart to see the mother there, watching us working on her child and not being able to save him," Bawcom said. Hearts were also broken . when students traveled with an AIDS counselor to visit the many affected homes. There , they Dean Cathie Shultz opens gifts at a School of Nursing party. Nursing students and teachers grew close through their often difficult classes and learning experiences. Photo by Aaron Gillihan. talked with the families and attended to any of their special needs: lotions for dry skin, death counseling, sometimes they could offer no more than a listening ear. Grove noted that about 70 percent of those tested for AIDS were HIV positive. The courage required for and gained from their experience will benefit students both immediately and in the long-term. In the immediate sense, the work is of great interest to potential employers. "When I was interviewing, people were so impressed by how unique the program was and how much experience I had gained," Grove said. "It showed employers that you're confident in your skills and that you're willing to go out of your comfort zone and learn how to manage." But in the more lasting sense, the students learned something about God. "I learned more about totally trusting God with everything," Bawcom said, "trusting that He would provide us with everything that we needed. And I learned that I wasn't in control - He was." The academics of life and death, love and faith. Not bad lessons for five credit hours. - Christina Weber School of Nursing 153
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