Title

Access to basic health care inspires UNDA student

Document Type

Media Release

Publication Date

Winter 17-6-2011

Publisher Name

The University of Notre Dame, Broome Campus

Publication Place

Fremantle

Abstract

A calling to change the lives of people without access to basic health care is the inspiration for one of Notre Dame’s Broome Nursing students.

Second year Bachelor of Nursing student, Don Main, joined staff and Broome Nursing students for the Blessing of the Nurses ceremony held on Thursday, 26 May.

The ceremony is an annual event which signifies the commencement of clinical placements for the students enrolled in the School of Nursing, Broome.

For his clinical placement, Mr Main will travel to Vietnam in November for 16 days. He will be based in the Mai Chau region, about 135km south west of the country’s capital city, Hanoi.

Mr Main developed an interest in the delivery of health care in remote locations after spending three months volunteering at an orphanage in Nepal.

He will conduct hospital and clinic visits in Vietnam, as well as work with children in orphanages.

“I believe some of the problems they face are similar to the challenges faced by communities in WA’s remote Kimberley region,” Mr Main said.

“I hope that my trip to Vietnam will give me valuable experience in how to deliver health care under difficult circumstances such as communicating when there are significant language barriers.

“A couple of my friends went to Vietnam last time and they really enjoyed the experience. They learnt a lot about themselves by seeing how other people could live with so little and, coming back to a Western society, seeing all the excesses we have which so many people live without.”

First year Nursing students received their uniforms and badges at the ceremony, and all students were blessed with Holy water by Fr Matt Digges.

“We have a strong focus on providing students the best opportunity to train for their professions,” Ms Sally Clark, Assistant Dean of the School of Nursing at the Broome Campus, said.

”The focus for the Broome Campus is to give students the ability to study in regional and remote environments as well as being able to work closely with Aboriginal health care providers in the Kimberley.”

Media Contact: Leigh Dawson (+61) 8 9433 0569, Mob (+61) 0405 441 093

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