Colby-Sawyer College Nursing Student Morgan Kuhnly Travels to Mexico for Medical Mission

2016 Jan 22

Colby-Sawyer nursing student Morgan Kuhnly of Coventry, Conn., traveled to Puerto Penasco, Mexico, from Jan. 7-13 with 13 members of the Student Nurses' Association (SNA) as part of a medical mission coordinated with International Service Learning (ISL), a non-governmental organization that offers volunteers practical experience with medical, education and community enrichment programs.

Kuhnly, a member of the class of 2017, brought much needed supplies to the coastal community in the northwest of Mexico including topical antibiotic ointments, children's vitamins, prenatal vitamins, toothbrushes, toothpaste and Band-Aids. Students also administered medications, completed vital signs, initiated intravenous therapy and fulfilled community health, public health and cultural learning objectives.

"Our time there was an eye-opening experience, and it touched each and every one of us," says Lisa E. Wilson, assistant professor of Nursing and Public Health who, along with Associate Professor of Nursing and Public Health Dr. Joan Loftus, accompanied the students. "The need is great in Puerto Penasco, and we found it difficult to leave with so much work still to be done."

The School of Health Professions and the SNA plan medical mission trips once every two years, providing nursing students with hands-on experience in international health and experiential learning outside the class.