Auburn in ecuador-spring break 2013
In March of 2013, I had the honor of joining a group of students from Auburn University's School of Nursing and School of Building Science on a mission trip to Quito, Ecuador. I was the only nurse practitioner student who made the trip, and my experiences in Ecuador will enhance my practice long after I graduate. As a nurse practitioner student I had the opportunity to apply the skills I have learned over the past two years with little oversight by my instructor Dr. Eva Jean Dubois. The trip centered around providing women's health exams to the citizens of the Marianitas community, which is about an hour north of Quito. Initially, I spent a day observing Dr. Dubois and she observing me to ascertain if I was ready to assess and treat patients on my own. The following day, Dr. Dubois set me up with my own exam room next to hers and I provided care to the women of Marianitas independently. The time I spent performing women't health exams in Ecuador reassured me of my readiness to graduate and practice independently in the "real world."