It is not often... okay, so it's rare that my passions in nursing mesh together. I love teaching (patients, nurses and students). I have a passion for rural and underserved populations in the community and though it surprised me, I fell for the concepts that comprise rehabilitation nursing when I was in my early 40's.
Dr. Huyen teaches community nursing at Vin University and she asked me to meet with the co-directors and a couple of staff members of the Center for Creative Initiatives for Health and Population. This amazing organization was begun in 1989 by 3 physicians who believed there was a great need to address disabilities in Vietnam. Today, they are operating in part with a grant from USAID in 3 rural provinces in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. For those of you aged 63 and older, you will recall this was the area of the DMZ during the years of the Vietnam War.
So, why the interest/ focus on disabilities? Vietnam's population will hit 100 million this year and 6.1 million of her citizens have at least 1 disability. Only 1/3 of children with disabilities are able to continue with their education beyond elementary school. 49.1% of the people with disabilities (PWD) are 16-59, ages at which they should be employed, contributing to the econmies of their families, communities and their nation but they cannot due to lack of accessable employment opportunities. Stroke is the #1 cause of death in Vietnam with 200,000 cases annually and a 50% mortality rate. Now, here's the real kicker here, the age of stroke victims. More and more of the individuals experiencing stroke are in their 30's! Obesity, ETOH, tobacco use (47% of all men smoke), and hypertension are the major modifiable risk factors we see here in Vietam. Circling back 'round to the children, only 2% of schools are accessible and only 7% of public school teachers receive faculty development training on teaching children with disabilities.
Since my husband, Lee, is a special education teacher at the high school level, this wound up as a unique opportunity to bring our passions/ talents together in a joint effort to collaborate with an international organization. Team members met with Lee and picked his brain regarding assessment tools and resources for working with parents. He has already sent them links to multiple resources and he is reaching out to people he knows to provide additional connections. This week, he met with staff from the US Embassy who have encouraged him to apply for a Fulbright Distinguished Educator Award for the purpose of faculty development among the schools in the Central Highlands area next summer. Wouldn't THAT be amazing!!!
As for me, the physicians who operate CCIHP realized that a key role missing from their interventions was rehabilitation nursing. I was asked to conduct a workshop on the role of rehabilitation nursing, specifically in the community. I had a whopping 3 business day notice and went in praying that what I had prepared would meet their needs. None of the participants were nurses. There were the co-directors who are physicians, one PT, one SW and the others present were the program coordinators for the provinces where services are delivered. Fortunately, the workshop went very, very well. The knowledge and passion of the participants were evident. It will be exciting to see what next steps they take to incorporate the nursing role in the delivery of care.
A key component will be capacity development. I have offered (and still need to figure out the details) to set up a dedicated You Tube channel and design professional development presentations on community rehabilitation nursing care in Vietnamese. No, I do not speak Vietnamese, but I will figure that part out once I return home. I think this unfunded project (as all of mine are! LOL) has amazing potential for learning by everyone involved. I do wish to do a shout out to the Association for Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) and Dr. Barbara Lutz, RN who have arranged for the donation and shipping of 3 copies of the ARN Core Competencies Manual for Rehabilitation Nursing to CCIHP. I believe that resource will be extremely valuable in assisting them in designing and supporting the role of community rehabilitation nursing.
Here are some of the picture of the workshop, which Lee also attended. This US Fulbright Specialist Project has certainly gone in directions that I never thought possible for just 5 weeks. This collaboration with CCIHP will always remain with me as it really did bring all the pieces of me together!
Postcards from Hanoi Summer '23,
Karen
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