I will be going with a multidisciplinary medical trip from the US to serve in Nicaragua with Nicaragua Resource Network (NRN). We will serve children with special needs in Nicaragua by providing medical care with the local medical team that serves them daily. We will provide medical care to local students and their families who are a part of the four schools within the Nicaragua Resource Network (NRN) organization. We will also provide medical care for local community members, including at-risk individuals who do not have easy access to regular healthcare. We will focus on preventative medicine, including recommended screenings and health education for children and adults, as that is not easily available in Nicaragua. The team will help reinforce the education that the local medical team performs regularly with students and community members.
Educating and serving those who do not have proper access to medical care, especially preventative medical care, creates a large difference in the communities we serve. Working alongside the local medical team in Nicaragua helps foster hope and trust between our team and the local community. I am so thankful to be a part of this team and have seen the lasting impacts on the health of those we serve over my 15 years of serving in Nicaragua with NRN.
The population we serve includes students with special needs in Nicaragua; NRN has one of the only medical programs for children with special needs in the entire country. We will perform physical exams, make referrals to specialists for those who need additional support, and perform education with the children and their parents. Children with special needs in Nicaragua and their parents have many barriers to face, and the NRN Agape medical program works to eliminate barriers and help provide education and healthcare to those who need it.
We will also serve community members and students at one of the four NRN schools requiring medical care and educational support regarding their health.
The expected impact is to have students updated on their annual physical exams, lab work, prescriptions, and other health maintenance needs. We will also address any acute problems that the students or their families need to be addressed. We will also work alongside the local medical team to host clinic days in rural areas where access to healthcare is limited. These clinic days are impossible without multidisciplinary teams supporting the small, local medical team with NRN.
I learn so much on medical trips to Nicaragua about how to better care for my patients daily, use community resources to the best of my ability, and support those I care for. I learn greatly about serving those with limited resources and creatively educating my patients in a way that applies to their daily lives.
I also learn from multidisciplinary teams from the US and Nicaragua how to better care for patients with different disease processes.
Nothing is more fulfilling than using my knowledge, passion, and gifts to serve others at home or in Nicaragua.
I was so blessed to spend the week serving the Agape medical program for children with special needs in Nicaragua. We worked alongside the medical team on the ground to serve almost 400 children and community members. I have been serving with the Agape medical program since I was in nursing school and am thankful for the support I have received in serving in Nicaragua now as an APP. There were many triumphs and sorrows, as many children in the program had significant needs. We identified the additional needs of each child in the program and ensured that they were set up with proper follow-up as needed.
I look forward to continuing to serve in Nicaragua and am thankful for the support.
