Two University of Panama students and their professor became the first Panamanian visitors to arrive on campus as part of the Mennonite College of Nursing’s Transcultural Nursing Experience Program.
Undergraduate University of Panama nursing students Aida Garcia and George Garibaldi, along with Dr. Lucero de Estrada, a professor of nursing at the University of Panama, spent the first week of November 2022 immersed in nursing education experiences at Illinois State University and throughout Bloomington-Normal.
“I like to learn about other countries and other cultures, and this was a great opportunity to learn about the nursing program in another country,” said Garibaldi, a junior nursing major. “I wanted to come here so I could learn and apply some of the things from this nursing program in my country.”
During their week in the U.S., the exchange students shadowed nurses at local community clinics, a public school, and area hospitals. They also spent time in the Mennonite Lab Building where they participated in nursing simulations and learned how to use virtual reality (VR) technology.
“I loved the laboratory simulation,” Garcia said. According to Estrada, the University of Panama—which strives to be a leader in nursing education in Central America—recently acquired similar VR technology; but it has not yet been integrated into curriculum.