Brigham nurses who volunteered in Shiprock recently gathered with NNMC nursing manager Scott, center. From left, Mallory-Anne Perron, Victoria Wroblewski, Stephanie Pretty and Ashleigh Golden. Photo courtesy of Stephanie Pretty.

Between July and early October, 26 Brigham nurses and Emergency Services assistants volunteered with the Brigham and Women’s Outreach Program (BWOP), which has collaborated with the Navajo Area Indian Health Service (IHS) since 2009. Staff traveled to Shiprock, N.M., for one to two weeks to care for patients and support critical care and Emergency Department staff at the Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, N.M., which each have a greater than 50 percent vacancy rate.

James Martin, BSN, RN, CCRN, CSC, CMC, Steven Palmer, BSN, RN, Denise Palmer, MSN, RN, and Stephanie Pretty, BSN, RN, share their volunteer experiences and reflections on what they learned.

Reflections on Geography, Culture and the Need for More Kindness and Respect

James (Jim) Martin, BSN, RN, CCRN, CSC, CMC, of the Cardiac Surgery ICU

A New Chapter in Volunteerism

Denise Palmer, MSN, RN, of the Cardiac Care Unit, and Steven Palmer, BSN, RN, of the Emergency Department

An ‘Eye-Opening’ Experience

Stephanie Pretty, BSN, RN

Read a related story in the July/August issue of Heart & Science.

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