With HIV becoming an epidemic in Narva, Estonia, six recent nursing graduates from Harford Community College (HCC) traveled to Estonia to educate high school students about HIV/AIDS prevention. Rather than completing the typical practicum needed to graduate, these students chose to travel to Estonia in hopes that educating high school students about the dangers of HIV would make a difference in the country.
Over the course of five days, HCC nurses taught over 625 high school students about HIV and AIDS prevention. HCC student Julie Rinker, who focused on public health while serving in the military, tells BaltimoreSun.com:
“If we can prevent what people have, we don’t have to take care of them in that way. I’ve seen a lot of young children with multiple STDs. To know I made a difference even in one person’s life would be a huge success, accomplishment.”
The HCC nursing students were accompanied by a committee of nurse educators working together to see what initiatives they could undertake in Estonia from an educational, workforce development, and health perspective. HIV was identified as a primary health initiative they wanted to address.
During their senior year, HCC nursing students are required to complete a practicum experience. Many go to local hospitals, but a few were allowed to complete their practicum in Estonia. As part of the practicum requirements, students worked over the summer to develop curriculum they would use in Estonia. They created games, interactions, and presentations, and also learned about the culture of Estonia so they would know what to expect from the country.
It turned out to be the experience of a lifetime for the nursing students who joined the trip. The experience will ultimately make them better nurses, knowing they had the opportunity to take advantage of their education and share it with high school students across the world.
To learn more about the HCC nursing students who traveled to Estonia to teach HIV prevention to high school students, visit here.
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