Service-learning in Peru for Nursing, Social Work, & Health Science Students
Program
This trip will focus primarily on working within rural villages outside of Cusco, Peru that don’t regularly receive local health care. Students will have an opportunity to provide wound care, basic checkups, and deliver health education to children and adults in up to five different communities. Social work students will have an opportunity to volunteer with another project in the Cusco area (specific project will be determined collectively by student applicants). For more information about the specific volunteer work, please see our 2019 blog from Peru.
The program will also include an opportunity to explore the culture, landscape, and rooted history of Cusco, Peru.
Itinerary
- Volunteer work for 5 days
- Work alongside community members with local projects
- Gain an inside perspective into life within rural villages
- Explore Cusco and the ruins surrounding the city
- Take a cooking class to learn about Peruvian dishes
- Understand the Quechua culture first hand
- Visit Machu Picchu!
Academics
This trip is ideal for nursing students, social work students, health science students, and students who are seeking to use Spanish within immersion experiences. Students will be volunteering in rural villages outside of Cusco to provide basic healthcare and childcare support in small homes for children. Nursing students will find that the trip provides them with many hours of direct experience with patients and connects well with required nursing courses and clinicals. Social work students can use the service hours to for SW203 or count the hours toward their field experience requirement for SW390, SW496, or SW497. All students participating in this program are encouraged to enroll in WLC210 (1-credit Fall 2nd session course) to develop their Spanish-speaking skills to use within the volunteer settings. All students will receive service-learning from their direct work in the community.
Faculty Leaders
Laura Grodewald, M.A., is GCU’s Director of Global Education Programs. She has fifteen years of experience teaching Spanish and ESL to students of all ages, and most recently she was teaching and living abroad in Hong Kong for four years. She has also taught Spanish for Social Workers and Spanish for Healthcare Workers at several NJ colleges. Laura has designed and led 11 service trips abroad to Philippines, Malaysia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Nicaragua. She has been to Cusco, Peru and is looking forward to bringing GCU students to this inspiring region.
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 found the program to be rewarding and eye-opening for anyone considering a healthcare career.
Program Costs
TBA
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