Global Trip Gives Nursing Students Key Experience

Students from the Davis & Henley College of Nursing traveled to Ghana for a week-long international learning experience

Key Highlights

• ^{Nursing students from Davis & Henley College of Nursing traveled to Ghana for a week-long global clinical immersion experience}
• ^{Twelve students and two faculty members participated, led by Heather Ferrillo, chair of undergraduate nursing programs}
• ^{Students worked at Holy Family Hospital in Berekum, collaborating with local providers and delivering patient care}
• ^{The group donated supplies to local schools and engaged with Ghanaian nursing students to compare nursing education across countries}
• ^{Students reported the trip as life-changing, noting improved cultural awareness, gratitude and a broadened global perspective}

Far from the gates of Sacred Heart University’s Park Avenue Campus, 12 students and two faculty members embarked on a week-long trip that would change their personal and professional lives.

In Berekum, Ghana, the group from SHU’s Davis & Henley College of Nursing (DHCON), led by Heather Ferrillo, chair of undergraduate nursing programs, learned what health care looks like across the globe.

SHU students spent the week at Holy Family Hospital, collaborating with health care providers and patients, delivering supplies to local schools and meeting with Ghanaian nursing students to learn and discuss nursing education in their respective countries. The clinical immersion trip let students work in hospitals and provide patient care, giving them valuable life and career skills.

Outside of learning about health care, students visited a traditional food market in Berekum, glimpsed some of history’s darkness when they toured a castle in Elmina that once served as a hub in the transatlantic slave trade, and they experienced daily life as they shopped at a craft market in Accra.

Upon returning, students and staff members alike felt immense gratitude for what they had learned.

“My clinical immersion experience in Ghana was a life-changing opportunity that deepened my understanding and appreciation of life in both Ghana and the United States, specifically the differences in health care systems,” said Brian Straus ’26, who is a student nurse on a clinical rotation at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport. He also works as an emergency department technician at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, NY, and is a volunteer EMT/firefighter in Armonk, NY. “I enjoyed being part of the community, especially our visits to local schools. The experience broadened my global perspective, which has improved the care and support I provide to my patients here in the U.S.”

The trip was not Ferrillo’s first visit to Ghana, but she still found it uniquely meaningful and, as in past years, a wonderful way to teach students and expose them to a different culture. “This trip is an amazing opportunity for me to share a unique experience with new students each year,” she said. “I enjoy helping students to have a broader world view, getting them outside of their comfort zone and pushing them to be more independent and creative. It provides me with the opportunity to see them excel and grow as nurses and people.”

At the heart of the trip was the social, emotional and cultural learning the DHCON members value more than anything else. “Our students learn to be aware of different cultures and how this impacts health care,” Ferrillo said. “They learn to consider the impact of culture on health and wellness and the importance of understanding someone’s culture to provide patient-centered care.”