Nursing students prepare to give care in Kenya

Sarah Zech, a nursing instructor at Chippewa Valley Technical College, said it’s not enough for students to know the technical skills of nursing. They also must know how to connect and care for patients as people.

One way to do that is to immerse them in the world of health care in other cultures to have a better understanding of needs near and far.

Zech and 19 nursing students have started planning their trip to Kenya, which they expect to take in May 2025. Throughout the eight-day educational journey, the students will give the care they’ve learned at CVTC to people in remote hospitals, clinics, orphanages, and elsewhere in Kenya.

Amanda Hayworth, a second-semester nursing student, was selected as one of the students who will travel to Kenya.

In her time as a Nursing program student, she has been able to see things most people don’t get to experience, she said, like the birth of a child.

“Those opportunities with CVTC have been great, and this opportunity to go to Kenya is something I could not pass up,” she said.

The trip is especially exciting for Hayworth, 40, because this is her first time traveling outside of the United States.

“Being able to have the opportunity to do that and really broaden my horizons and see things that will impact how I practice nursing in the future is really important,” she said.

Karly Kibbel, a fourth-semester nursing student at CVTC, traveled to the Dominican Republic with a group from CVTC earlier this year.

“It taught me so much about non-verbals and body language and how to communicate with people even if you can’t understand them,” she said. “I also learned a lot about what people are living through every single day that we completely take for granted. It’s just an eye-opening experience.”

Kibbel said it was difficult to prepare for the experience, but looking back, it gave her a heightened appreciation for health care and compassion for those who seek it.

“In the Dominican, they are very appreciative of any health care that they’re receiving because it’s not something that they expect,” Kibbel said. “It’s something that they only do if they’re desperate for help and they have no other options.”

Kibbel, who is set to graduate in December, said there is no expectation of getting tests or X-rays done to find the culprit of a health situation.

“If we’re feeling bad for a week, we go to urgent care, and we’re seen or tested for things. It’s not like that there,” she said. “When people go to the doctor there, it’s more serious because the resources are so limited.”

Alisa Schey, CVTC Dean of Student Development, said the College has been participating in study abroad for a short period of time, but in that time, alignment with the program’s area of study has been considered, and the College works closely with international partners.

“From my perspective, any type of international travel is transformational,” Schley said. “We hear from our students when they return that the experiences they have not only shaped their education, but it also shapes their personal lives.”

Schley has been to Spain, Ireland and Thailand with CVTC students, and each of those experiences gave students a chance to learn, she said.

“It’s not just about what they’re learning, but learning how to navigate,” Schley said. “It’s about how to travel, how to navigate that, not knowing the language and communicating, and using critical thinking skills.”

Hayworth’s mind is wide open. She’s ready to take in all of the information that will help in her nursing profession.

“Being able to give a full medical assessment where they don’t have access to everyday health care is going to be huge,” she said.

How To Help

Chippewa Valley Technical College Nursing program students are preparing for a trip to Kenya in May 2025 to donate their health care services. They are accepting donations of items on the list below at CVTC’s Health Education Center, across from the welcome desk, 615 W. Clairemont Ave., and Business Education Center, in the Student Life office, 620 W. Clairemont Ave., both in Eau Claire.

Large suitcases

Eyeglasses and cases, both prescription and reading

Travel hygiene products

New or gently used infant clothing

Small toys (cars, dolls, rattles)

Formula

Diapers, especially cloth type

Washable menstrual pads

New women's underwear

Nebulizer machines

New OTC medications

School and craft supplies