Health Care Ministry Crossing Borders
Going from late-night hospital shifts in California to a medical mission in Costa Rica, three Cedarville University nursing graduates are taking their passion for health care across borders.
Going from late-night hospital shifts in California to a medical mission in Costa Rica, three Cedarville University nursing graduates are taking their passion for health care across borders.
In May, Bekah Colon, Abbie Nilius and Hanna Nocella will lead a team of nursing students from Cedarville University on a mission trip to support a church-based clinic. They will partner with Hope Ministries to provide health care programs in remote villages, including essential medical services and health education. This is the Cedarville University School of Nursing’s second trip to provide medical care in Costa Rica.
The three women have traveled all over the United States, working at hospitals in Florida, Ohio, Arizona, Texas, Virginia, Idaho and California in skills areas such as pediatrics, cardiology and neurology. Nilius and Nocella also served overseas as college students, having gone on medical mission trips to Africa.
“Short-term medical missions helped grow my love for nursing in other countries and allowed me to get a diverse view on nursing and caring for a person holistically — specifically focusing on spiritual care rather than simply treating physical symptoms,” said Nilius.
The school of nursing’s mission is to use nursing as a ministry for Christ, and short-term mission trips continue to instill those values in the students who are being raised up as the next generation of nurses.
“Missions is a neat opportunity for students to learn about care across cultures, which they can take with them in their work wherever they end up,” said Suzanne Lefever, associate dean of the school of nursing. “Having the three nurses who are already practicing be able to go with the students is phenomenal, and the undergraduate students will really benefit from that role modeling.”
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate programs across arts, sciences, and professional fields. With 6,384 students, it ranks among Ohio's largest private universities and is recognized by the Wall Street Journal as being among the nation’s top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics, and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.