“The cenotes were amazing. To see the natural process of the earth’s water system in this region in person is something that words, pictures or even videos cannot explain! The personal and life lessons I learned during this experience are something that cannot be matched in a classroom setting.” -- Nathan Cromer, RN, ASN ’09, RN-BSN student
Eight Diverse Days in the Yucatan How did Mayan culture find its way into the Mercy College curriculum? It started when Dawn Bowker, RN, MAN, ARNP, WHNP-BC, assistant professor of nursing, visited the Yucatan for a meeting organized by the Heartland Global Health Consortium in her role as one of the College’s representatives. Participants talked about cultural diversity and visited sites associated with Mayan culture—which prompted Bowker to bring ideas about studying abroad back to the College.
“Consortium members pool their resources and knowledge base to make research and service opportunities possible that would not otherwise exist,” says Bowker, who is the organization’s president in 2013. Janet Roberts-Andersen, EdD, MT(ASCP), Medical Assisting Program Chair, is also a representative on the Consortium for the College. “Those key contacts and the information and protocols they shared made it possible for us to set up the Yucatan immersion trip,” Bowker says. Because of Central College’s help in providing guest housing, a professional on-site program director and transportation, Mercy College faculty could concentrate on developing learning objectives. Bowker and Roberts-Andersen
worked on the proposal, developed the forms, set up information sessions, and promoted the course to faculty, staff, and students. Once enrolled in the course, students had weeks of online coursework, in which Professor Bowker and Roberts-Andersen presented material via lectures, journal articles, web sites, and even YouTube videos. Students delved into such topics as agriculture and food security; social health determinants; education and healthcare systems; diabetes (a chronic health problem in Mexico); and the colonialization of the Yucatan itself. The trip took place the following week, during summer break. On one level, students were building a foundation of knowledge to help them acquire more out of the experiences
Merida, Yucatan Itinerary Day 1 Arrive Merida
Day 2
Day 3
M1 Historical and Archeological Maya
M2 Education Systems Private vs Public Introduction to Chronic Disease Diabetes
M Module
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VitalSigns Winter 2014
Day 4 M3 Health Systems Private vs Public