Student Nurses Make A Difference In Cambodia, Australia

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Also Included In: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 19 Jan 2010 - 4:00 PDT

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A group of UQ nursing and midwifery students have realised a unique New Year's resolution - using their studies to assist those in need in Cambodia.

The 13 final-year students and two staff members left Brisbane on January 2 with donated medical supplies, clothing and toys for a four-week placement in Siem Riap in a village known as Mondul 3.

Clinical lecturer Peta Crompton said the students had completed almost 500 health checks to date in just over a week.

"The students are loving it here and are really getting into the placement both from a professional point of view and also on a personal level culturally," Ms Crompton said.

The experience counts towards the students' clinical coursework and was organised as part of the School of Nursing and Midwifery's International Community Health Placement program.

Students are currently referring and transferring patients to a number of hospitals and clinics in Siem Riap, assisting and observing local nursing and medical staff in a number of different environments including the New Hope Community Clinic and Orphanage.

The students are working as interns for New Hope, a group who provide free medical assistance to the local population.

Mondul 3 was originally the home of the Cambodian army, and illnesses including HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, typhoid, tuberculosis and dengue fever are prevalent.

Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery Professor Catherine Turner said the program was providing participants with a greater insight into international health practices while providing enhanced practical experience.

"The International Community Placement is an extension of our clinical schools model and provides students with an invaluable opportunity to experience life and health care practices in a country and clinical setting foreign from their own," Professor Turner said.

As part of the trip, students are learning about Cambodian culture and history, visiting sites including the S-21 Tuol Slang Museum - a former prison under the Khmer Rouge regime.

School of Nursing and Midwifery International Coordinator Dr Anthony Tuckett said the trip was the first planned under the program and delivered unique experiences for those involved.

Before leaving Brisbane, UQ staff and students collected gifts of soft toys, surgical supplies, pens, pencils and children's clothing that has since been donated to local communities and orphanages in Siem Reap. The nursing students and UQ Ipswich staff further fundraised in excess of $US4000 to donate to New Hope.

The supplies have come in handy for community health and medical centres, which bear the cost of providing medical equipment within the smaller towns and villages.

The group returns to Brisbane on January 29.

Source
The University of Queensland, Australia

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