Skip to content

Selkirk College nursing students visit Guatemala

Fourteen Year 3 nursing students are looking forward to their four-week visit to Guatemala.
10918664_web1_180307-CAN-M-guat4

Fourteen Year 3 nursing students are looking forward to their four-week visit to Guatemala in May to participate in an international nursing practice experience as part of the Baccalaureate Degree program through the University of Victoria at Selkirk College.

The students travel to Guatemala as invited guests with a goal of exploring how community development and health are positively linked. They will collaborate with their partners, who are grassroots community organizations, working to promote health through community capacity building and by addressing fundamental social issues such as poverty, inequity, discrimination and human rights violations. The experience will deepen their understanding of how community empowerment and solidarity globally are integral to their future nursing practice.

One of their four-partner organizations is the Mayan People’s Clinic of La Esmeralda. This clinic has a team of trained volunteer health promoters including a Dental Health Promoter. They provide services to upwards of 3,000 people. Services include childhood vaccinations, maternal child health, and diagnosis and treatment of common illnesses.

Students will work with their partners to provide health information as requested. A focus will be on diabetes, dental health and hand hygiene. Selkirk nursing instructor Randy Jansen who will oversee the students during their visit states, “This Selkirk College International Program in Guatemala has become a bridge between our communities, our cultures and our people.”

The Beans and Rice dinner fundraiser will be held on March 22 at the Royal Canadian Legion Hall – 2081 Washington St., in Rossland. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; dinner at 6 p.m.; $15 at the door; children are free. There will be a silent auction and a presentation from the students who visited Guatemala in 2017 on their experiences. Your support will be appreciated.

10918664_web1_180307-CAN-M-guat2
10918664_web1_180307-CAN-M-guat1