In the Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Rochester areas, practica experiences are offered in a variety of community health settings and among persons primarily underserved or excluded from mainstream health care. Emphasis is on understanding and addressing cultural diversity and health inequities of families, groups and communities.

A unique practicum opportunity is offered through the Augsburg Central Nursing Center in downtown Minneapolis. The Nursing Center provides services for persons struggling with poverty and homelessness in the inner city. People from diverse backgrounds, who have health experiences grounded in wide-ranging cultural contexts, provide many opportunities for students to explore public health nursing roles and new models and forms of nursing practice.

There are also week-long practica experiences on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation in western South Dakota. In this experience, students live on the reservation and participate with public health nurses in providing health services to the Lakota people. They also interact with tribal leaders and experience cultural events relevant to the people of Pine Ridge.

The Nursing Department works closely with cultural guides, nurse mentors, and Augsburg Abroad in offering study abroad opportunities that also fulfill practicum requirements for NUR 411 – Community Health Nursing II.

Students may travel to Namibia in southwest Africa to spend two weeks exploring community health and health care challenges within a rapidly developing country. Practical experiences with nurse mentors in a variety of care settings, meaningful dialogue with key resource persons, and critical reflection foster personal and professional growth in this practicum.

Ten-day practica are also offered in Nicaragua, where students explore the relationships of indigenous and Western health care and the application of community health nursing principles on the care of populations.

In addition to practicum experiences at home and abroad, the Department of Nursing offers WST 362 - Walking the Truth: Culture, Gender, and HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa during the second session of Summer School in early July. WST 362 is a broad-based interdisciplinary course taught over the course of 16 days in the Republic of Namibia. The course fulfills an elective requirement in the BSN program and the global experience requirement for a major or minor in Women’s Studies in Augsburg’s Core Curriculum.

For detailed information about upcoming opportunities for unique study experiences abroad and at home, please contact Sharon Wade at wades@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1209 in the Department of Nursing, and/or stop by the Department of Nursing on the first floor of Memorial Hall. For an application and information about admission to the BSN program, contact Wendy Delesha at delesha@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1326.