Notre Dame nursing students help Laos Health Care Service

A GROUP of local nursing students had the chance to put theory into practice during a trip to help disadvantaged communities in Laos.

The 10 University of Notre Dame students worked alongside the Laos Health Care Service for two weeks to assess and educate some of the area’s most disadvantaged people.

They also used the trip to hand out more than 1000 toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and soap, as well as 200 feminine hygiene packs through the Days for Girls projects.

Student Melanie Manansala said the experience changed her views on what a nursing career would be like.

“Due to the limited resources in Laos, I was amazed at the fundamental simplicity of some of the effective solutions we achieved for complex problems. Who knew a splint for a fractured arm could be formed out of a plastic water bottle, tape and scraps of fabric?” she said.

“Partaking in an experience such as this emphasised the importance of lateral thinking in nursing practice, skills that I hope were able to benefit the communities within which we worked.”