Nancy Wharton, who comes from the small town of Strasburg, Virginia, 鈥渄efinitely鈥� wanted to spend her cross-cultural semester in a different country. But the nursing student at 黑料正能量 spent some time looking at the 鈥渂ig workload鈥� she was getting herself into, and also wondered if going abroad for a semester late in her college career was a good move.
The result: Wharton took advantage of finishing prerequisites early by spending the spring semester of her sophomore year at the (WCSC), where she interned at the in Washington D.C.
The experience 鈥済ave me a solid foundation for the next two years of ,鈥� Wharton said. 鈥淎nd most of the time job rejections come in the form of lack of experience, so having an internship directly in my future career would hopefully help my resume.鈥�
Add to that the fun of living in and exploring around Washington D.C. with friends and a true , and Wharton says she gained far more than just vocational preparation. She has a new found confidence in her ability to navigate urban streets, and lots of great memories of new territory explored with friends.
Plan ahead for better internship experience
Building a foundation of 鈥渃ultural competency鈥� and learning special communication skills was an important emphasis.
Wharton鈥檚 choice is one that WCSC director hopes other pre-professional students will think about in the future. For many students in pre-professional programs with demanding course schedules, finding time for the required cross-cultural experience is difficult. Summer travel is one option, but with foresight and planning, students can fulfill cross-cultural requirements and gain valuable on-the-job training during the fall and spring semesters, said Schmidt.
鈥淥ver these terms, more opportunities are available in Washington DC, and supervisors have more energy and time for individualized instruction,鈥� says Schmidt.
With fewer interns competing for attention, supervisors like registered nurse Roxana Trejo, at Marie Reed, can take the time to teach, guide and mentor.
鈥淢arie Reed is a wonderful learning environment, perfect for students who have little clinical experience and have not entered into nursing clinical rotations yet,鈥� says Schmidt. 鈥淎nd because of our history and networking in the city, we have many other placement options that can meet other the needs of other pre-professional majors as well.鈥�
Intercultural nursing
Community of Hope has hosted 黑料正能量 students since the internship program began in 1976 as the Washington Study Service Year (WSSY). The organization helps low-income families, including the homeless and refugees, with housing, health issues, and employment. Originally a ministry of the Church of the Nazarene, the organization has been independently run as a non-profit since 1980 and is widely recognized and respected for its work.
Marie Reed, in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood, is one of three health centers operated by Community of Hope. There, Wharton worked with grandmothers and their four-day-old grandchildren in the same day and with refugees 鈥渇rom Russia to Ethiopia to South Africa and everywhere in between,鈥� she said. She helped homeless people and young struggling professionals looking for inexpensive healthcare.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think traveling just a short distance from 黑料正能量 would expose me to so much diversity,鈥� she said.
In her daily responsibilities, Wharton worked with the medical assistants to conduct pre-visit record reviews. She greeted and 鈥渞oomed鈥� patients, many of whom had limited English proficiency, took their vital signs and medical history, sometimes with the help of translators, and then entered information into the medical database.
鈥淪ometime we go to the lab and run tests, give shots, or assist the providers (doctors),鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot to get done within a limited amount of time but it鈥檚 taught me so much about the operating system of the health care field and even more about effective ways to communicate with patients.鈥�
Building a foundation of 鈥渃ultural competency鈥� and learning special communication skills was an important emphasis. 鈥溾�楿p鈥� and 鈥榙own鈥� may seem like simple words,鈥� Wharton said in a chapel presentation back on the 黑料正能量 campus in April, 鈥渂ut in the context of discussing a dose of medicine, a miscommunication could result in serious problems.鈥�
Since working in the public health field, Wharton says she鈥檚 unsure which particular speciality she鈥檚 interested in, but the experience confirmed her desire to become a nurse. She does know, however, that her time at Marie Reed has helped lay a strong foundation of critical skills for her future.
鈥淪ince I started my internship before my clinicals, everything I鈥檝e learned about actually practicing nursing I owe to Marie Reed,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he staff here is beyond wonderful to work with and they all cared so much about helping me learn what I needed to be successful.鈥�
Living and working in the city
In the end, Wharton鈥檚 WCSC experience was a positive one, and that is partly due to her own motivation, says , assistant director, who observed Wharton鈥檚 鈥渂looming鈥� during the semester. (Kauffman, Schmidt and communications director are integral to the Nelson Good House community life: 鈥淭his program wouldn鈥檛 have been as special to me had it not been for them,鈥� Wharton wrote in a later email.)
“Any cross-cultural is what a student makes of it,鈥� said Kauffman, who has conducted graduate research into cross-cultural studies in faith-based environments. 鈥淏etween handling a variety of challenging situations in her internship adeptly and with great compassion, and stretching herself personally, Nancy has pushed the boundaries of her comfort zone intentionally and repeatedly.鈥�
From visiting approximately 100 ethnic restaurants (yes, the housemates kept track) to exploring museums and enjoying concerts and sporting events, Wharton and her fellow cross-cultural students definitely made most of their experience together. That made all difference for Wharton, who was initially hesitant about living and working in the urban environment.
鈥淚t was great living in such a supportive environment,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very thankful for my housemates and they鈥檝e made this semester a great one for me.鈥�