An ABSN Global Immersion Experience in Peru

Students move quickly through the 16-month Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, but Assistant Professor Raquel Reynolds was convinced that, like other programs at MGH Institute of Health Professions, ABSN students would benefit from an international clinical study experience. She decided to connect with colleagues in the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh and the Universidad Católica De Santa Maria in Peru to make this happen.

Thirteen ABSN students joined Reynolds in Arequipa, Peru, where she says, “The goal for the students was twofold. To learn about Arequipa, Peru and the customs and traditions and the people in general, just to get a sense of what that community was all about. And then to understand Peruvian health care and the similarities and differences between Peruvian health care and health care in the United States.”

Students delivered care alongside Peruvian nursing students in clinics, where they were able to log the clinical time that the ABSN program requires, integrating their global immersion experience seamlessly into their studies.

Reynolds notes how students were exposed to new types of environments, and how “The population that we served while we were there were resource deprived, so there was a lot of kind of makeshift teaching. Some of the teaching materials, for example, that the students used were cardboard and markers…So, they had to be a little bit more creative and really engage with people in a different way.”

Reynolds plans to return to Peru and make this experience available to future ABSN classes. Learn more about student global health experiences at the MGH Institute.

Watch the Video “An ABSN Global Immersion Experience in Peru”