Our Nurse of the Year Bethany Arbuckle is continuing to do great things with a volunteering mission to Kenya now in her sights.
Our Nurse of the Year Bethany Arkbuckle is going to fulfill a lifelong dream by travelling to Africa to help sick people.
Bethany will be heading to Kenya in November after being accepted as a volunteer on the Nurses in Action program with World Youth International.
“I will be part of a small team of nurses heading to Odede – a village community in Western Kenya – to support and provide care to low-socio economic and disadvantaged communities,” she said.
“I will be involved in the running of a mobile medical camp in a rural community where we provide free medical assistance to approximately 150 to 300 people a day, treating those who would otherwise not have access to medical facilities.”
The program will deliver home-based care to the chronically ill and the elderly, as well as education and awareness campaigns about issues such as HIV/AIDS, hygiene, sanitation, child and maternal healthcare, preventative health and family planning services.
“I have always wanted to go and work overseas ever since I became a nurse, which was 13 years ago,” Bethany said.
“We are so privileged with where we live and what services we have access to, especially in our health care system, so I want to share my knowledge and give these people access to services that they might not have.
“Whether it’s helping them with something simple like dressing wounds or sharing my knowledge, it is going to be so rewarding.”
Nurses in Action is a team program which provides a unique experience for volunteers.
The program is held over three weeks (Nepal) or four weeks (Kenya) and allows nurses and allied health professionals aged 18 – 65 to provide primary healthcare services to people living in remote communities.