Running head: PRE-ACTIVITY ASSIGNMENT

Pre-Activity Assignment: Vulnerable Populations and Global Health

Elizabeth Blanton

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

Assistant Professor Kathy S. Faw, RN, MSN

NUR 4215P

June 4, 2017

Honor Code I pledge

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Pre-Activity Assignment: Vulnerable Populations and Global Health

For the Vulnerable Populations and Global Health Practicum I will be volunteering

with the Resettlement Program through Commonwealth Catholic Charities (CCC) in

Richmond, Virginia. CCC was founded in 1923 to offer human services regardless of faith in

order to empower individuals, strengthen families, and build communities through faith

and service (CCC, About Us). The Resettlement Program assists families and individuals

who are escaping persecution and want to build a new life in the United States. Services

include case management, employment placement and orientation, adult English

instruction and educational planning, and family mentorship (CCC, Refugee Resettlement).

Through my volunteer experience and interaction with refugees, I hope to show this

vulnerable population that Americans are welcoming of immigrants and refugees, and that

the hate that is shown on t.v. and in the media is not representative of our culture. I expect

to learn a lot from this population about how to overcome tragedy, find hope in despair,

and I imagine that I may feel humbled by their experiences and resiliency.

I do not believe that I have any biases towards refugees, but I may not be aware of

these biases until I begin working with this population. I know there are a lot of

stereotypes about refugees that have led to unwelcoming and bigoted laws in our country,

but I most definitely do not share these beliefs. I see refugees as a population that may be

fearful of coming to a foreign country, homesick about leaving their own country, worried

about not speaking our language, uncertain about assimilating into our culture, potentially

being financially insecure, but also being hopeful for a future that may be brighter than

what they faced in their previous home. Any biases that I may have about the refugee

population are from not knowing any members of this population, and I hope this
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practicum experience will help me identify any biases and work towards building a better

understanding how I can best serve and show compassion towards refugees.

The strengths that I hope to bring to this volunteer opportunity and refugee

population draw mainly from my experience working with school-aged children as a school

nurse. As a school nurse, I have experience working with this age group in the school

environment. CCC assists refugees integrate their children into schools in our area, and I

may be able to assist with this process. There are over 21 million refugees in the world and

over half of these refugees are under 18 (U.N., 2015). Children are an extremely vulnerable

population who deserve special attention and require extra services in our community. I

also have experience working with diverse populations through my time at VCU Health

Systems in the Acute Care Pediatrics Unit. I can draw from my experience at VCU while

working with the diverse population of refugees at CCC, who may be in crisis as were the

families at VCU when their children were experiencing a health emergency.

The most important nursing role I can play in this practicum is that of advocate. CCC

offers human services and advocates for refugees as they integrate into our community.

One of a nurses most important roles is often that of advocate to ensure that her patients

receive adequate and safe care. In this same way, refuge resettlement service providers are

constantly advocating for their clients to ensure they receive safe, fair, and adequate

services. In addition, it will be important to draw from the compassion nurses show their

patients. The refugee population may be under severe stress, and at a minimum, showing

compassion while assisting with human services through CCC may make a significant

difference. This practicum experience does not involve direct nursing care, so I will need to
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show patience and listen in order to best understand how I can integrate my knowledge

into my practicum experience.

Two inherent barriers that may be present in this population are a language barrier

and a fear or distrust of our community based on the current political environment. I

believe CCV provides translators, so the language barrier should not be a significant

obstacle. The second barrier will not be easily overcome with only one interaction. I would

imagine that CCC has been working with refugee families for many months to establish and

maintain a relationship in order to breakdown any fears or distrust the refugees may have

about entering this country. While we cannot control the behavior of all members of our

society, by demonstrating that not all members of society represent hate, we should be able

to work towards establishing a relationship that opens the door to encouraging refugees to

seek help when needed.

I imagine that I will learn a lot about courage and resiliency from this community. I

cannot fathom what it would feel like to be forced to leave my home and begin a new life in

a foreign country. Im thankful that there are organizations such as CCC to help refugees

integrate into our community and feel secure in establishing a new life. Refugees may be

able to teach others about appreciating the value of family, living in the moment, finding joy

in relationships and not in material things, working hard towards goals, and persevering

when hope is hard to find.

I am looking forward to volunteering with this community, and I hope to have the

skills necessary to offer support to refugees. Refugees are a resilient group of people, who

deserve a supportive welcome into our community, and I hope to contribute to and learn

more about this process.

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References

About us. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2017, from http://cccofva.org/about-us/

Refugee resettlement. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2017, from http://cccofva.org/

The U.N. Refugee Agency. (2015). Figures at a glance. Retrieved June 2, 2017,

from http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at-a-glance.html