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From March 22-30, 19 students alongside five nursing faculty and staff from Pacific Union College provided physicals, well visits, and regular physician office and dental care to 311 patients in Mana, Fiji.

Students checked patients' vital signs, monitored their glucose levels, and recorded medical history and complaints. With a dentist on duty, students assisted and learned how to give fluoride treatments and educated the community on oral hygiene.

Throughout the island, PUC nursing students gave in-home care with a provider to assess their needs. 鈥淭his is an eye-opening experience as it allows the students to see how the local community lives,鈥� said Sandra Ringer, PUC assistant professor of nursing. 鈥淥ur lifestyle directly affects our health. It also provides cultural competence as students discover that not everyone lives and functions as we do and then apply health principles that can assist with lifestyle changes. We are not trying to make them live like the Western world, just encouraging healthy surroundings.鈥�

While PUC鈥檚 nursing department has served in Fiji in past years, this trip was different in a few ways. One of the physicians who has joined these mission trips for the past three years raised $20k to build a medical and dental clinic on the Seventh-day Adventist school compound in Mana, where PUC students began the building project.

Ringer added, 鈥淭he dream is in the future, to have opportunities for nursing students with an RN degree to go and volunteer for an extended amount of time in the clinic.鈥�

This year's team had new and seasoned nurses. For Ringer, she鈥檚 amazed to see how they jump into their roles and become leaders. The doctors and dentist on-site praised the students for their professionalism and care, making Ringer very proud of them and PUC鈥檚 nursing program.聽

This trip was also unique because Loma Linda University School of Nursing sent a nurse practitioner to be a provider, who also brought a student nurse practitioner along to learn and observe.

While these mission trips mainly consist of nursing students, two students from PUC鈥檚 chaplain鈥檚 office helped serve by coordinating worship services and hosting Vacation Bible School for over 50 children from the community.聽

During their downtime, teams immersed themselves in the island by scuba diving, snorkeling, and swimming.

PUC students return from these mission trips with a wealth of lessons and experiences they can鈥檛 receive in a classroom or standard clinic. For Ringer, her ultimate hope is that her students come back changed. 鈥淭o see Jesus and to share that love and compassion gained with their family and profession here in America,鈥� she shared. 鈥淎nd ultimately, we can all be together again in Heaven with our Mana family.鈥�

Ringer witnessed the impact this mission trip made on her students. As they left Mana, she saw her toughest and quietest students with tears in their eyes saying goodbye. Students expressed how meaningful this trip was to them, including how it helped their nursing career, helped them understand different cultures, and created a passion for mission work in less industrialized communities. One student shared how going on this mission trip confirmed their calling to nursing and gave a sense of purpose not fully realized before arriving in Fiji.

鈥淭his trip felt like my passion and personality collided to become a purpose, and it will truly be a constant reminder for me to 鈥榮erve others with purpose,鈥欌�� said a PUC nursing student. 鈥淚 think in our careers and everyday life, we become very routined and forget how fortunate we truly are. The appreciation that Mana has shown us will never be forgotten, and it will forever hold a special place in my heart.鈥�