Ghana: Service-learning in Healthcare
Program
This trip will provide an awareness of socioeconomic, health, and education disparities while immersing in the culture and landscape of Ghana. For Exercise Science students, this program will provide an opportunity to contribute to the health and wellbeing of Ghanian people living in rural areas through nutritional education. It will enable students to assess patient population according to risk, and overall health status in order to prescribe exercise programs and education. For Nursing students, this program provides hands on experience with skills, assessments, and education. This service learning experience connects practical and theoretical knowledge across the lifespan and will help bridge the gap between academia to practice.
This is the 4th Nursing service trip and 2nd Exercise Science trip. For more information about previous programs abroad, please see our blog.
Itinerary
- Volunteer work for 5 days
- Work alongside community members with local projects
- Gain an inside perspective into life within rural villages
- Explore the region of Accra, Ghana
- Visit a Monkey Sanctuary and Waterfall hike
Academics
All students will be encouraged to take a 1 credit course to prepare for the experience abroad. Global Health in Ghana, NU470/GS300, will be offered Fall 2021. This course will prepare students to provide exercise and nutritional education and wound care and medical testing within the context of the culture and rural villages in Accra, Ghana.
Faculty Leaders
Dr. Vincent Chen, Assistant Professor of Exercises Science, was born and raised in Taiwan. His research interests include Exercise Physiology, Nutrition, Muscle Biology, and incorporating technology into training. With his experience of traveling to more than 12 countries around the world, Dr. Chen believes that broadening the point of view of students in health and exercise science by observing and experiencing different wellness practices around the world may help to develop effective health promotion programs to fight the overweight and obesity crisis in North America. This will be Dr. Chen’s 2nd Faculty-led Study Abroad Program at GCU.
Dr. Maureen Bailey, PhD- Dr. Bailey is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Georgian Court and also a Registered Nurse at Community Medical Center. Dr. Bailey has a BSN, MSN, and PhD in Nursing and Education. In addition to teaching nursing students she also holds certifications including ACLS, BLS, and PALS. She continues to practice as an emergency room nurse. In addition, she led a similar trip to Nicaragua with nursing students in March 2018, and to Peru in January 2019 and 2020 and found all of the programs to be rewarding and eye-opening for anyone considering a healthcare career.
Program Costs
TBA
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