The Joys and Rewards of Volunteering with IUBAT

Rebecca Campalans, a geriatric nurse with an interest in volunteering abroad, traveled to Dhaka as an instructor in the med/surg course and the nursing research course at IUBAT during the monsoon season earlier this year. She writes, “What was it like? I had a huge learning curve as a first time nursing instructor - I have a new appreciation for all the professors I ever had and who had me as a student!! I was one of those students who asked LOTS of questions!! J  I never knew how much work it took for the instructor to prepare for lecture and clinical time. One of the best experiences I had was the clinical rotation at the International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, ICDDR, B.  This is better known as “The Cholera Hospital”. The work the organization does is amazing and my students loved the fast-paced environment.   For my Nursing Research class, I had some great students who had a chance to develop a research proposal for the class. Many of the students showed original thought and innovation in the subject matters selected. I was really impressed and hope to follow their progress as they begin data collection in the coming year.”

She concludes by saying, “I encourage anyone who is interested in pursuing international health, international volunteer work, and/or the nurse educator role, volunteer with the Bangladesh Health Project.  With all its challenges, there was also a lot of laughter, and I would do it again!”