nurse smiles at baby

And the Winners Are…

Columbia Nursing Holds Its Second Annual Global Photo Contest

Now in its second year, Columbia Nursing’s global photo competition, sponsored by the Offices of Global Initiatives and Development & Alumni Relations, showcased Masters Direct Entry students’ (MDE) experiences as Global Fellows.

The winning photos were judged in three competition categories: “I am a Columbia Nurse,” an image best representing nursing at the global clinical sites; “Team Photo,” an image best capturing the essence of a site’s country and showing people embracing humanity; and “Active Nursing,” an image evoking the connection of students with the local population.

The competition is part of Columbia Nursing’s commitment to global health equity, which involves expanding access to and better understanding of health around the world.

Through the Office of Global Initiatives and supported by the Global Fellows Fund, the school helps to improve health around the world by providing educational opportunities to future nurses in countries with different health care systems and challenges. This enables MDE students to have global immersion experiences, during which they interact with local nurses, patients and their families at 15 sites worldwide for six weeks of clinical rotations. The MDE students often take photos during their six weeks as Global Fellows, which led to the creation of the photo competition.

“I am so proud of our Global Fellows, who have the courage to immerse themselves in new cultures and  learn from nurses who are resourceful and innovative in providing care for their communities, often with minimal access to resources,” said Jennifer Dohrn ’85 ’05, DNP, associate professor, and assistant dean of the Office of Global Initiatives. “These photos reflect their unique experiences. Our Global Fellows return with a deeper understanding of the health care needs and nursing practices of other places,” she added.

Global Immersion Experiences

The winning photos, along with categories, submitters, location and subjects, are as follows:

Winners by Category

“I Am a Columbia Nurse”

(View Image)

Submitter

Student Group – Subjects

Location

The Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital, American International University West Africa, Banjul, The Gambia

Subjects (Left to right)

Columbia Nursing students Sierra Davis, Shannon Weber Tebbetts, Sumiyah Syed, Sneha Bathina

This was on our first day of clinical rotations hosted by the American International University West Africa and the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in The Gambia. After our rotations, we enjoyed immersing ourselves in the local culture, touring markets, and finding restaurants.

“Active Nursing”

(View Image)

Submitter

Caitlin Schwagerl

Location

Ospedale Regina Margherita, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

Subjects (Left to right)

Perceptor Lisa Bianchino, Columbia Nursing student Caitlin Schwagerl

The majority of the patients seen on this unit were young children recovering from open heart surgery to correct congenital heart defects. Though there was a language barrier at the hospital, I knew I could always communicate with the patients by smiling!

“Team Photo”

(View Image)

Submitter

Katherine Sullivan

Location

St. Anthony’s Hospital, Dzodze, Ghana

Subjects (Left to right)

Columbia Nursing students Katherine Sullivan, Isabel Bustamente, Tori Ferland

Despite being sad to leave the amazing friends we made at the hospital, we were also incredibly grateful for all we learned at St. Anthony’s. We were given the white dress uniform during our first week at the hospital since the staff wanted to ensure we felt like part of the team. In reality, we left feeling like part of the St. Anthony’s family.