2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
from Diana Perricone, Senior Nursing Student
We landed in Phnom Penh at about 10:30 AM on Tuesday, May 17th. It was very weird to realize that we left on Sunday, and just completely skipped Monday altogether. I could tell by looking out of the window of the plane while we were landing that this is certainly not like any place i have ever been. From the plane you could tell that about 90% of the roads here are dirt roads. We got to the hotel by two vans which was only about 10 minutes away.
Driving through Phnom Penh was very surreal (and terrifying considering traffic laws appear to be completely non-existent). I have never seen so many abandon buildings in one area in my life. Then, I realized that they aren’t abandoned at all…they are fully occupied homes, businesses, doctor’s offices, etc! So many of these buildings look like something that would be deemed unsafe, and condemned in the US. Some of the names are pretty funny. For example.. I’d probably avoid the “Sour Dentist.”. Although so obviously impoverished, Phnom Penh is beautiful. There are many stunning buildings that look like stereotypical Asian palaces and temples (and for all I know at this point they are!).
Monthly Archives: May 2011
Dr. Ruby Dunlap has article published in Journal of Nursing Education
Dr. Ruby Dunlap, Associate Professor of Nursing, is the lead author of an article published in the Journal of Nursing Education. Dr. Dunlap has pioneered service learning in the School of Nursing and the university, forging many significant relationships in the local community surrounding Belmont.
Dr. Dunlap and her collaborators describe the formation of the Nursing Education Partnership for Community Health Improvement (NEPCHi), a campus-community partnership with the Edgehill neighborhood, a historical African American community within Nashville. They outline the challenges that were faced and how those challenges were engaged to maintain a viable serving and learning presence within the community. Their aim is to create a body of knowledge about the practical aspects of creating and maintaining partnerships, which can provide guidance for those who wish to duplicate partnerships in other situations. Another goal is to contribute to data sets of experiences from which theories on this kind of human relating can be formed, challenged, or validated.
The article can be accessed online through the Journal of Nursing Education.
We have arrived
2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
Hi everyone…..we are here and are getting exposed to the closeness of the equator and how that relates to the feeling of sun on our skin. Which translates to IT’s HOT. Depending on how hot it gets and how long we continue to go without sleep, we may have disturbed thought processes related to fluid volume deficit and sleep deprivation.(okay, so these are nurses writing this brief entry)
In all seriousness we are here and doing well. Our goal is to stay awake until around 8PM, then rise early for a run and then off to the hospital. You will get more details later. Thanks for all your prayers.
Traveling to Cambodia
2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
by Dan Myslakowski, Pharmacy Class of 2013
Getting to Cambodia is not quick or easy; it costs a small fortune and takes more than a day of flight, airports, taxis, and Tuk-Tuks to arrive to any hotel. However, we had a great time doing it! On our first day, a group of around 30 students, professors, family, and even the dean of pharmacy took over the front of the Nashville International Airport. Traveling was a breeze! A thirty-something or so hour breeze… I don’t know if it was because of our group size, our smiles, or my safari hat… but our group slid, like butter on a hot pan, through every airport security checkpoint. It took less time to get through security as a large group then it ever has for me as an individual. On the plane ride from California to Hong Kong, we ate, watched movies, ate, slept, played games, and ate (at least I did). I have to mention that a majority of the pharmacy students played a game of “trivia” on the airplane and that I was able to beat Dan Stirling in Trivia. Normally, this never happens… so I have decided to blog about it so that he does not forget anytime soon. : )
Cambodian High School student supports Belmont mission trip to Cambodia
2011 Mission Trip to Cambodia
For the fifth year, students and faculty from Belmont University’s College of Health Science will travel to Cambodia during the next two weeks with their annual mission trip. This year’s team will depart on Sunday, but in preparation for their departure, they greeted a Cambodian high school student on Thursday from Stratford High School who came to Belmont with three fellow students and a sponsor. The students had recently conducted a fundraiser, selling snacks at their school, to raise $125.35 to support Belmont’s student mission to Cambodia this year. The Cambodian student, Savut, and his classmates had opportunity to meet several of the students going on the trip, while inviting the group to attend an International Festival at Stratford High School.
School of Nursing professor Keary Dryden met Savut at her church just a little over a month ago. When he found out about the Belmont trip, he organized the fundraiser at his school, enlisting the help of friends. Dryden said, “We will take the money with us and use it when we identify needs.” She added, “Last year we used donated money to help sponsor a rice drive which provided rice and other food supplies to a group of people who had been displaced from a slum into a very desolate rural area that had few resources. We’re not sure where the money will go this year, but $125 goes a long way in Cambodia!”
To stay up-to-date about the Cambodia Mission Trip, subscribe to the Health Sciences at Belmont University blog.
School of Nursing helps celebrate public health nursing in Davidson County
Recently, Belmont’s School of Nursing joined with the Metro Public Health Department (MPHD) to celebrate 100 years of public health nursing in Davidson County. Keynote speakers were Dr. Alisa Haushalter from MPHD and Assistant Professor Loretta Bond from Belmont. Dr. Haushalter spoke about the history of community health nursing in Davidson County and Professor Bond spoke about the history of the term “health disparities” which is the focus of her doctoral research.
Belmont’s Community Health Nursing students presented posters of their projects involving historical inquiry into a wide range of public health topics from rabies to infant mortality to seat belts. The projects were supervised by Dr. Ruby Dunlap and Ms. Emily Morse. The link for more information about the centennial for public health nursing in Davidson County is: http://www.mphdnursingcentennial.com.
Hachtel Receives Community Volunteerism Award
Dr. Yvette Hachtel, Professor of Occupational Therapy, was recently recognized by the American Occupational Therapy Foundation as a recipient of the Patterson Award for Community Volunteerism. The award is co-sponsored by the Patterson Foundation of St. Paul, Minnesota and was presented at the annual meeting of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Hachtel (pictured left receiving award) was one of five award recipients who exemplify the outstanding commitment of occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants to their communities. She was recognized for her work with the Odyssey Program of the Campus for Human Development in Nashville serving men who are chronically homeless.
MSN Graduates Achieve 100% Pass Rate on Nurse Certification exam. . . Again!
For the seventh consecutive year, the graduating class from Belmont University’s master’s program for Family Nurse Practitioners (FNP) have achieved a 100 percent first time pass rate on the advanced practice nursing examination for family nurse practitioners, administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Fifteen MSN graduates from Belmont completed the examination during the past year.
ANCC, the world’s largest and most prestigious nurse credentialing organization, recently announced that the overall pass rate for the FNP exam was just over 83% in 2010. More than a quarter million nurses have been certified by ANCC since 1990 and over 80,000 advanced practice nurses are currently certified by ANCC. ANCC certification is accepted by governing boards throughout the United States, as well as insurers and the military. The program validates nurses’ skills, knowledge and abilities, and empowers nurses within their professional sphere while contributing to better patient outcomes.
Pharmacy Student Selected for Internship With Johns Hopkins
Chenette Burks, a first year student at Belmont’s School of Pharmacy, was selected for a position in the Johns Hopkins Pharmacy internship program in Baltimore. Students from all over the country applied for this well-respected internship, and 15 students were chosen. Burks will be working as a pharmacy intern in the Central Pharmacy at Johns Hopkins from June until August of this year. This internship provides additional opportunities to shadow pharmacists and pharmacy residents working in various specialties, participate in Journal Clubs and develop projects that will be presented to the Department of Pharmacy.