On The Horizon

"A person can grow only as much as his horizon allows."

It’s hard to believe that my long-awaited trip to Peru is less than 3 days away! Although, I applied for this study abroad program back in October, I’ve been anticipating this opportunity since before I even attended Marquette. I heard about this new and exciting program at a MU College of Nursing scholarship competition during my senior year of high school and began saving up my dimes and nickels (plus a little bit more) in hopes that I could one day go on this trip.  Three years later, I am now a part of the 5th group of Marquette nursing students to travel to Piura for my community health clinical.  Everyone told me over and over again as a freshmen how fast my college years would go by, and it’s ridiculous how quickly they have!

I am so fortunate that I have been blessed with this opportunity to combine my love for both traveling and nursing.  Immersed in a culture much different than my own, I look forward to developing a more comprehensive and global perspective on health and health care.  Hopefully this will be just the first of many more traveling nursing experiences in my future!  I was particularly inspired by my professor Dr. Weis, who told us on the first day of our summer class that she had recently completed her life goal of visiting all 7 continents!  Her favorite part about her final destination, Antarctica, was playing with the penguins. I found this particularly exciting as an avid penguin collector since the fourth grade...just ask my roommates...

Anyway, this study abroad program to Piura is a truly unique one, compared to many of the other programs offered at Marquette.  Instead of packing my bags with stylish outfits for an elegant European vacation, I will be packing my bag with mismatched scrubs, a gigantic bottle of hand sanitizer, 4 cans of bug spray, and my handy dandy estetoscopio (stethoscope).  

Honestly, I couldn’t be more thrilled.

I have had about a month since spring semester ended to prepare for the trip.  Over the course of about a week and half in May, my classmates and I had a crash course in public/community health nursing.  Despite the long hours stuck inside attending class and studying, I really enjoyed learning about this area of nursing.   One of the major concepts we talked about, which I found particularly interesting, was the Determinants of Health.  Many factors combine together to affect the health of individuals and communities.  The major ones include the following:

1) Behavior/Lifestyle  (50%) 

2) Environment - Social & Physical  (25%)

3) Biology  (15%)

4) Access to Quality Health Care  (10%)

I found it very interesting indeed that “access to quality health care” was listed as having the least amount of impact, as it usually receives the most attention.  Public health nurses, however, focus mainly on the first two determinants of health – behavior and environment.  These nurses make efforts aimed to improve the health of populations, instead of focusing solely individuals as we do in a typical hospital setting.  All in all, the preventive focus of community health nursing seems like such a common sense approach, in contrast with the the curative focus that typically dominates America’s health care system. 

Besides taking summer class, I have also been doing my best to brush up on my Spanish speaking skills.  I took Spanish for 5 years through high school and then for a semester during my freshmen year of college; however, I haven’t had too much practice since then.  Fortunately, a lot of my basic vocabulary and grammar seems to be coming back quickly as I have attempted to review on my own over the past couple weeks.  I even had the opportunity to practice with native Spanish speakers while visiting a good friend in Chicago!  Her parents, who immigrated here from Mexico, were very helpful and overlooked any mistakes that I may have made.  I hope that the Piurans will be as forgiving!

Looking ahead at the next few weeks, I have decided to set some objetivos for myself:

1) Approach each day with openness, positivity, creativity, humility, and love.

*As always! :)

2) Learn the names of everyone that I meet.

*I made this one of my goals this past spring break when I visited Baltimore for a Marquette Action Program trip, and each evening my group would pray for the people we had met.  Remembering and addressing someone by name is a sign of respect, conveys that you value him or her as a unique individual, and helps foster relationships. 

3)  Focus on “being in relationship” with the Piurans.

*My Uncle Jim passed away yesterday after a long and courageous battle with prostate cancer.  Although this has been a very difficult time, I am so thankful for the special time that I’ve spent with my extended family over the past 2 weeks.  Life really is all about our relationships with others and the precious time and love we share with one another.

4) Actively seek out new and unique learning opportunities.

*Have you ever seen the movie Yes Man?

5) Further explore how I can best provide holistic care to my patients. 

*“Where science and caring meet.”

6) Observe. Listen. Repeat.

7) Improve my therapeutic communication skills.

*Since I am by no means fluent in Spanish, I will have to be creative! 

8) Take advantage of as many “teachable moments” as I can, so that I can inspire change and empower others to lead healthier lives!

*I say this knowing that the teaching will most definitely occur on a two-way street!

9) Reflect and write about my experiences each day.

*You all will have to hold me to this one.

10) Have fun!

*Cause girls just wanna. :)

Stay tuned for more updates!

 <3 Lisa

P.S. 2 days, 10 hrs, 50 min, 5 seconds until I leave...not that I’m counting or anything... :)