FIMRC Partners With Alma College to Offer Virtual Programming

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (June 22, 2021) – Before the pandemic, nursing students from Alma College, a private liberal arts college in Michigan, traveled to Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) project sites around the world to delve into global health education and become more well-rounded healthcare workers. In 2018 and 2019, Alma College’s nursing program was represented in Costa Rica, Uganda, and Ecuador. In 2020 and 2021, when international travel came to a halt, FIMRC and Alma College partnered to offer nursing students in-depth virtual programming to continue their studies.     

“Over the four years Alma College nursing students have interacted with FIMRC, they have had immersive experiences in countries around the world. The last two years, students participated via virtual travel,” explained Dr. Renee McCune, PhD, RN, professor at Alma College. “The ability to participate in clinical observations, case studies, country overviews, and community teaching has opened up the world for our students. While sad they could not physically travel, they gained great insight into cultures and the effects of social determinants of health. I believe these experiences will positively influence their future practices and plans to volunteer.”

As a global health nonprofit that raises a majority of their funds through international volunteer travel opportunities, FIMRC had to make drastic changes to the way they operate in order to stay afloat during the pandemic. Alma College was FIMRC’s first virtual partner when the programs were unveiled in 2020.

“My volunteer experience at FIMRC has taught me to be a global nurse, and that really went way beyond the facts I learned in my textbooks,” said Elizabeth Bomodi SN, a nursing student at Alma College. “FIMRC staff displayed a professional and humble attitude towards clients; they are role models of how healthcare teams should cooperate and work in a health care setting.”

ABOUT ALMA COLLEGE NURSING PROGRAM – The Alma College nursing program, launched in 2014, prepares competent baccalaureate nurses who are committed to think critically, serve generously, lead purposefully, and live responsibly as stewards of the world they bequeath for future generations. Alma’s four-year degree emphasizes the development of creative problem-solving and interpersonal skills in addition to nursing fundamentals. The program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. For more information, visit alma.edu.

ABOUT FIMRC – Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving access to healthcare for families around the world through the implementation of innovative and self-sustaining health programs. Founded in 2002, incorporated in Washington, DC and headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, FIMRC utilizes its network of outpatient clinics and partnerships to assert multidimensional strategy that includes clinical services, extensive community outreach efforts, and health education programs. For more information, visit fimrc.org. Facebook @officialfimrcpage and Instagram @fimrc.